


Say It With Flowers

by gaygaara



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I Won't Say I'm In Love, M/M, Romance Comedy Drama.... well, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, TW alcohol use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 45,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21599419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaygaara/pseuds/gaygaara
Summary: Gaara's last delivery for the day is a big bouquet, sent by Sasuke to a handsome man named Naruto; unexpectedly, the card says that Sasuke is breaking up with him! Gaara spirals into an unusual adventure, finding true love - and himself - in the process.[Will update tags/rating as story progresses]
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 43
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Português brasileiro available: [Diga com Flores](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24025288) by [gaygaara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaygaara/pseuds/gaygaara)



> Three dashes (///) indicates time passage. The little asterisk (*) indicates character POV change.

Gaara said his goodbyes to the old lady, wishing her a nice weekend and hopping back on his bicycle. This late April night was warm and heavy, announcing the upcoming storm that was coming to Konoha, and inviting him to go back home to rest. He put on his headphones and hit play, letting the music soothe his tiredness. A soft voice resonated through his ears, lessening his worries.

_ ‘True love will find you in the end…’ _

The wheels hit the old brick road. Gaara had been roaming the city streets for quite some time, delivering flowers, bouquets and various plants. He left a little after sunset, when the store closed; the shop has a handful of clients who aren’t home during business hours, so he and his siblings agreed to offer late hours delivery services (for a price, of course). Since Gaara doesn’t sleep much and actually enjoys seeing the city at night, he agreed to make these deliveries. But now, after three hours of riding, he just wants a cold shower and a bed to crash in.

The last delivery for the night was at a simple neighborhood. Gaara parked his bike on the racks in front of a three-story apartment building, and went up the stairs to call apartment 104 over the intercom. The bouquet he was holding was rather pretty, with some colorful cyclamens and big marigolds. Temari knew a lot about flowers, how each of them sends a message, but Gaara didn't find that believable. 

The intercom buzzed and a deep voice told Gaara to go inside. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door just enough to slip inside, heading straight to the right side of the building. The sooner he got over with this, the sooner he could go home. 

He took off his headphones and knocked on the door, waiting for a few seconds; suddenly, it was swung open by a young, disheveled blond man, who eyed him and said a quick  _ ‘come in!’ _ , motioning him to go inside. Gaara stepped inside the apartment, taking in the sight of clothes tossed on the floor and two big backpacks by the door. The blond went back to what he was doing, which was stuffing a pile of clothes into a medium suitcase. 

“Heh, sorry for the mess!”, he said, and glanced at Gaara from over his shoulder. “I’m just getting my stuff ready for the trip…” He looked at his finished work: a comically stuffed suitcase, like those you see in a cartoon. “Well, it's done. How can I help you?”, he added, with a smile too big for his face. 

Gaara noticed that he hadn't introduced himself, and stared at his feet awkwardly. “My name is Gaara, and I’m here to deliver this” he stated, looking up and showing the bouquet to the other man. “Are you...” he read the name on the card, “Uzumaki Naruto?” Gaara eyed the man, who nodded and gulped. “These are from Uchiha Sasuke. Here.” He handed the bouquet to Naruto, who examined the flowers critically. 

“Oh, cool! Thank you…” He grabbed the bouquet with a nervous expression. “Hm… No sunflowers…” Taking the card in his hand, Naruto read it carefully, his face changing as he jumped onto the next sentence anxiously. Gaara stood there looking at his hands, waiting for that  _ ‘thank you, here’s the tip for your trouble!’ _ when suddenly the blond threw the flowers on the floor.

“What the  _ fuck _ !?” Naruto shouted, “he’s breaking up with  _ me _ ?” his brows furrowed as he looked around the apartment. “Is this some sort of joke?” He placed his hands on his head, staring at the redhead and hyperventilating. 

Gaara’s eyes widened, processing what had happened. So this wasn't a happily ever after. “Uh… well, I’m as surprised as you are,” he explained carefully. “We’re not allowed to read the cards so… I'm shocked too.” He did feel bad for the guy, but honestly, he wanted to go home. “And also, you have to pay the delivery fee. Mr. Uchiha said we could get that from you,” he added, but immediately regret it.

Naruto shot a quick  _ ‘damn it’ _ while putting on a jacket. “Look, dude - uh, Gaara - there must have been a misunderstanding,” the blond said, picking up a motorcycle helmet. “There’s no way Sasuke would break up with me now. We’re...” he suddenly left his arms drop to his sides, looking down. “We’re going on a trip tomorrow, he wouldn’t do that… Would he?” The question was more for himself than to Gaara, but he looked at the redhead for answers anyway.

“I… I'm really sorry about that, but you have to pay that fee so I can go home and stuff...” Gaara trailed off, pointing to the card on the floor with a small receipt stapled to it. “We can use my card machine if you don’t have money,” he added quickly.

Naruto threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Perfect,” he said sarcastically, looking up and sighing. “The bastard knows I don’t have any money right now! How could he do this to me?!” He was thinking quickly, searching inside his pockets. He found what he needed - his motorcycle’s key - and handed another helmet to Gaara, who examined it with a puzzled expression.

The redhead sighed. “Look, it’s ok, you can go to the shop on Monday if you can’t pay right now.” But Naruto was already out the door. Gaara didn’t know what to do; he could just climb back on his bicycle and let Temari take out the $15 from his pay. When he got outside, Naruto was already on his motorcycle, revving up the engine. It was a 2006 Honda Rebel, which made Gaara a little impressed; Kankuro would be so jealous if he found out Gaara had the chance to ride one of those, and he would be  _ pissed _ if Gaara passed on the chance.

Naruto lifted his helmet. “Are you gonna stand there gawking or are we gonna get your money?”, he said, motioning to the back seat. The redhead rolled his eyes, put the helmet on and climbed on the motorcycle. He needed a little fun after a long day, right?

It was a quick ride. Naruto’s boyfriend lived a few blocks away, and the trip was over before Gaara could punch the blond for riding like a maniac through the busy streets. They pulled over, and the redhead hopped off as soon as Naruto turned off the engine. The blond hanged his helmet on the handlebar, rushing inside the tall building; the apartment complex was 10 stories high, adorned with glass windows all over. 

Gaara watched as Naruto dialed on the intercom and - for his surprise - began speaking Japanese with an unknown person.

“Oyasumi, Sakura-chan!”, he gushed with a forced enthusiasm, “doawo akete kuremasenka?” Gaara didn’t hear the answer, but judging by the noise coming out of the intercom, ‘Sakura-chan’ wasn’t all that happy to be bothered by the blond. “Oh, come on!” Naruto said, “I gotta see Sasuke, the bastard pulled a prank on me, and I'm not sure if he’s gonna answer if I call him…” He waited for the reply, and Gaara noticed his mood shift; it was like the weight of the situation suddenly dawned on him. 

Naruto and Sakura went back and forth on the conversation for a while, and Gaara maintained a polite distance as to not eavesdrop on them. He felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do with himself; but he had to make sure this night wouldn’t end badly for Naruto. 

A clicking sound made the door open. “Yosh, thank you Sakura-chan!”, he shouted as he went through the door, motioning for Gaara to follow him. They made their way to the elevator, and the redhead watched Naruto closely. The blond was beginning to sulk.

“This building may look fancy” Naruto said as soon as they stepped into the elevator, “but Sasuke’s place is only on the 7th floor. It’s not that impressive...” his voice died, and the sarcastic smile he tried to display turned into a frown.

Gaara was silent. Naruto’s relationship must have been troubled for quite some time for him to be in such a bad mood so quickly after receiving those flowers. Gaara caught the blond staring at him, and furrowed his brows. “You’re not much for talking,” Naruto stated simply. “I get it. Sorry I had to drag you around, it’s just that I’m  _ really  _ short on money right now, and all my credit cards stayed with my dad, and I started this new job a few months ago, and...” Naruto stopped. He took a deep breath, keeping silent for a few minutes. “Sorry to ruin your night. I always seem to be a nuisance to everyone around…” he added in a sad voice, bracing his arms around himself. Gaara stared at him for a few seconds. Where did that come from?

“You didn’t ruin my night. And I’m sure you’re not a ‘nuisance’...” The word left a sour taste in his mouth. He knew how that felt like, seeing yourself like a burden. “You don’t need to be sorry, it’s ok.” Naruto met his gaze and nodded, the blue eyes glistening with understandment. 

Their bonding was interrupted by the elevator doors, that slid open to welcome them into a large hall with fancy blue carpets. “Come, it’s this way,” the blond said, heading to the left. Gaara followed suit, still thinking about that glimpse of sadness from the blond. 

His mind raced, escapist thoughts screaming for him to go back and leave Naruto to sort himself out… No, he  _ had  _ to stay. Gaara had been through so many situations where he desperately needed help, but didn’t have anyone around. He could at least be that person to Naruto, even though they only met about 15 minutes ago.

Naruto went straight to apartment 801 and began pounding on the door. “Hey, bastard, open up!” His sadness had turned into anger, to which Gaara could also relate. The redhead stood a few feet away from Naruto, not too close as to interfere on what would happen, but not too far as to leave Naruto unattended.

The door opened and a tall figure was framing the doorway, staring at the blond. Gaara took in the stoic face, with black strands of hair framing it. The guy had black eyes as well, which were focused on Naruto and looked very unpleased. This must be Sasuke, then.

“Naruto, do you know what time is it? I have to take my flight in a few hours,” he bit out, crossing his arms in annoyance. Gaara already didn’t like the guy. “I sent you the flowers to make this easier, dobe. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

The words made Gaara freeze, and he could guess how Naruto would take them. The blond was trembling and gritting his teeth. “How! Dare you! We were supposed to go on this trip  _ together _ ! To _ fix things! _ ”, he spat out, not too loud as to disturb the other apartments. “Please, Sasuke, let me in, we can talk this through -”

“I don’t want to see you anymore”, the black-haired man repeated, snarling at Naruto. His eyes snapped at Gaara. “You. What are you doing here?” Gaara lifted his right hand and pointed to his apron, which had ‘ _ Suna Garden Shop _ ’ embroidered in the front pocket. Sasuke sighed. “Oh right, the delivery guy. Please excuse my ex-boyfriend,” he said, looking back at Naruto, who seemed about to explode. “He just can’t think straight. Naruto, please, we’ll discuss this when I come back, if,” he put extra emphasis on the ‘if’, “I feel like it. But, as to this moment, we’re done. Goodbye.”

Sasuke shut the door as Naruto was getting ready to reply. He puffed and huffed for a few moments, taking in what just happened. Gaara didn’t know what to do; he could punch the door open and teach some manners to that black-haired idiot, but that would possibly upset Naruto. Finally, the blond drew a shaking breath and ran a hand through his hair. He stared at his feet for a few moments and shot his head up, glaring at the door. He mumbled something under his breath and walked back towards the elevator. Gaara waited for a few seconds and ran up to him. 

“Are you ok? That guy sounds like a douchebag,” he said, trying to cheer him up. Naruto sighed as he pushed the elevator button. They were silent as it went down to the first floor, and as they rode back to the blond’s apartment. Naruto was deep in his thoughts, and Gaara didn’t know that else to say or do; he wasn't really good with emotions.

He couldn’t help but feel sad for the guy, so young and already heartbroken. He had never been with anyone, so he didn’t know what it felt like; but he could see in this man’s face and body language how much it had hurt him. It made Gaara’s blood boil, though he couldn’t understand why. He knew he would feel like this towards his siblings, but towards a complete stranger? The thought made his stomach flutter, and he was surprised by the new sensation. This day wouldn’t get weirder.

When Naruto parked the motorcycle in front of his apartment building, Gaara hopped off awkwardly. He handed the helmet to the blond. “Thank you for the ride,” he managed to say; inside, his mind was a turmoil. “Cool motorcycle.” Naruto chuckled, hanging both helmets on the handlebar. “Aren't you heading back inside?”, Gaara asked, noticing that he didn't turn off the motorcycle’s engine.

Naruto shook his head. “Nah, it's not good for me to be alone right now.” Gaara’s stomach turned into a knot, and he wished he could say something, anything… “I’ll be fine,” the blond added, sensing his worry. “I’m heading to Shikamaru’s place for the night. Thank you for your concern… And sorry about the money.” 

Gaara couldn't care less about those stupid 15 dollars. “Really, don't worry about it. Just…” He wasn't good at caring for people, but he would try to just this time. “Just stay safe.” Naruto nodded, fidgeting with his hands as Gaara pulled his bicycle from the racks.

“Hey Gaara”, Naruto called as the redhead climbed on his bike, “I’ll find a way to pay you back. Make up for this whole thing… Believe it!”, he shouted, lifting his fist with a small smile. Gaara didn't want to spoil his sudden good mood, so he just nodded and smiled, heading off towards the end of the street.

*

Naruto stayed on the motorcycle for some time, but finally turned it off and decided to call Shikamaru before riding there. Running up the stairs, he decided that there was something he had to do first.

That bouquet needed to be burned. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rain. Never ending rain, cold and merciless. Naruto was on the way to his class, deciding to ditch his motorcycle to walk the watery streets, protected by his green umbrella. It had a big drawing of a cute frog on top, gifted by Sasuke on his 23rd birthday. He almost tossed it out along with all the things that reminded him of the raven, but he actually needed the damn thing. Water was coming down in buckets, and he couldn’t afford getting sick right now.

He did like the rain, though. Specially in spring, when it’s hot and bright and it caresses your skin when you’re strolling down a park after a hard day. But today was grey and sad, and it matched his mood. It’s been two days since the ‘breakup bouquet’ thing, and he spent the entire weekend crying his heart out to his friends. Sakura, Hinata and Shikamaru were there to support him, and if it hadn’t been for them, he would have tossed himself into the fire along with those stupid flowers. God, who the hell sends flowers and a card to breakup with someone? Of course it had to be the teme. Ugh!

Well, it was a metaphor of their relationship. Gifts, expensive things, big acts of romantic display, but… nothing else, really. They had been together for two years, after Sakura set them together at a friend’s dinner. Naruto was fresh out of college, and had just gotten his associate’s degree to teach at their local school. Sasuke was the cool rich kid who didn’t have to struggle as he did to get his degree and a ‘real’ job; the Uchiha name has its influence, and in no time Sasuke had already started working with his brother in their law firm. And the bastard kept preaching ‘meritocracy’ to all who would hear him. What had Naruto seen in him?

Well, Sasuke was pretty, and athletic, and smart, and... he had money. Not that Naruto was a gold digger; he just had a rough childhood, and having someone who gave him things he needed to get by (like clothes or a new phone when his stopped working) or maybe spoil him once in a while was nice. But spending _time_ was another story. The bastard rarely had time to hang out with him and his friends, always too busy, too far away (four damn blocks!) to come over and watch a movie or just have dinner (one that wasn’t the size of a coin served on a plain white plate). It started to wear Naruto down, little by little.

This trip to Tokyo was the chance to make everything alright: just the two of them exploring a foreign country, trying different foods and visiting those beautiful places. Even though Sasuke was Japanese-American (like Sakura), he had never been to Japan, and neither did Naruto. He even got Sakura to teach him a few phrases to impress Sasuke! Well, it was all over now...

Naruto shook his head, breaking away from the memories. Thank goodness he had the school to focus on; on Mondays, the little bastards all seemed to need his attention the most, since they spent the entire weekend away from their favorite teacher (according to them at least). That was the thing he loved the most about teaching: the devotion to his students, and all the love he got back from them and their parents.

He managed to get to the school without getting himself sogged, and greeted the secretary. “Looking good today, Moegi!”, Naruto said as he clocked in. The girl giggled, her orange hair buns bouncing. “Wait, mr. Uzumaki… Weren’t you getting a day off today? For the trip to Japan...?”, she asked, her dark skin blushing. Even though they didn’t have a big age difference, Moegi was always formal when addressing him.

“Change of plans”, Naruto replied simply. If she noticed the sad tone in his voice, she didn’t remark it, only nodding in acknowledgement. Naruto made his way to the classroom and began organizing everything for his class, taking out the stacks of paper and colored pencils for his students.

///

The morning passed quickly; Naruto had to deal with all the shouting and chatting the little brats always made after a weekend, where they told all their classmates where they went and what they did, going over with extreme attention to details. He always encouraged them to express themselves, though today was too much; but, since his weekend was depressing as hell, he let it slide. The first hour and a half was a blur of voices and colors as the kids made drawings of their family and dogs and cats all having fun together. When lunchtime arrived, Naruto gave a sigh of relief.

He made his way to the teacher’s lounge to cook his instant ramen, greeting a few of them on the way: Ebisu, Anko and Kakashi, who also looked tired from putting up with meddling kids all morning. They also didn’t expect to see him today, and a few other teachers asked him what happened. He wasn’t much for chatting today, so he dodged the questions and sat on the couch near a fogged window with his ramen, slurping it slowly.

“Rough weekend, Naruto?” Kakashi asked, and Naruto looked up to him with a neutral expression. “Hm… you’re not usually like this, boy. I’ll leave you alone if you don’t want company” he said, scratching his face mask. Though the pollution here wasn’t terribly high, the man had always a dark blue mask over his mouth and nose. Figures.

“Nah, it’s alright. You can stay”, Naruto replied, making space for the other man. Kakashi sat down and pulled a book from his bag, choosing to read instead of eating. “Sasuke broke up with me last Friday, so I’m a bit down. But it’s okay!” He forced himself to smile, though he knew that wouldn’t fool the older man. “You don’t need to worry. Shika and the others made me feel better, and the kids today were wonderfully loud and chatty so I didn’t have time to sulk in class.”

Kakashi eyed him with a raised eyebrow and sighed. “I’m sorry for you two, you seemed like a nice couple” Naruto’s breath caught in his throat. “But knowing you and Sasuke, it was just looks. Am I wrong?” The blond shook his head, taking a bite out of the pork chop in his ramen. “Well, then it’s best for you to find someone else. Someone who makes you feel cared for and safe,” he looked straight at Naruto, who stopped chewing on his boiled egg, “and not like a burden. Right?” The other man just nodded and dropped his eyes to his now empty bowl. He sniffed a few times and got up to go wash the dish, leaving Kakashi with his book.

///

Naruto usually had college classes in the afternoon; he was pursuing his English major to teach at a higher level, so whenever possible he went to the community college to take his classes and even get extra credits. When he had a day off, he usually stayed at the school, planning the classes he’d give to his students in advance so the weekends were always free for him to enjoy himself.

But today he was on a mission. He still owed Gaara the money he couldn’t get from Sasuke, so that left him with two problems: 1 - getting the money (from Ebisu? Kakashi? He didn’t remember if he was in debt with them, so it was best to not bother them with it) and 2 - find the flower shop where the redhead worked. Damn it, he had to burn the flowers _and_ the card with it! Why was he such a knucklehead?

Naruto weighed his options. He could spend the afternoon calling every shop that sold flowers and asking whether a handsome, punk-looking redhead guy worked there like an idiot; or he could just google shops near him and hope the one closer to his apartment was the right one. Gaara got to his apartment on a bicycle; there’s no way he’d cross the city just to deliver some flowers at 9 pm At least Naruto thought no serious shop did that to their workers… The guy was his age, and already working his ass off in a flower shop. It reminded Naruto of his teenage years, when he got a job in retail to make some money. He certainly didn’t miss that time.

So maybe the $15 really made a difference on Gaara’s income, and he had to pay him urgently. What was he thinking, dragging him around in his motorcycle? He didn’t even check his wallet while the guy was there. Did Gaara think Naruto was trying to scam him? That wasn’t very good for his reputation... and that temper tantrum in front of Sasuke’s apartment? Ridiculous! God, he felt so ashamed.

“OK Naruto, calm down” he said to himself. He decided to check on his bag for any money he could find: there was a folded 5 dollar bill inside his wallet, some quarters and a 10 dollar gift card from Ichiraku’s coffee shop that was near his apartment.

“Well, I could take him out to compensate for that shitshow…” Wait, take him _out_? On a _date_...? Yeah, that would sound weird. He could just give the card for him to enjoy, unless he _wanted_ to go there with Naruto, so he could have the chance to apologize a million times and make up for the embarrassment Gaara endured.

The whole situation was a blur of feelings for him, and he appreciated a lot of the effort Gaara made so Naruto would feel less like a total nuisance; it was almost like the redhead understood what he was thinking. Those bluish-green eyes held so much melancholy for a young person, and it made Naruto sad. The way he took Naruto’s pain and anger as his own had also surprised the blond, and left him thinking that maybe a friendship could blossom from that episode.

But did Naruto want only a friendship…? He had to admit that Gaara was really handsome. That flaming red hair was spiky and shaggy like Naruto’s, and those black markings around his eyes made him look like a natural punk. He had some piercings on his ears as well, which added to the whole rebellious aesthetic. He was completely different from Sasuke, and Naruto figured it was that which made Gaara so attractive to him now.

He shook his head. Enough daydreaming; sitting around isn’t gonna solve anything. Taking out his phone, he quickly searched for flower shops in his area. There were six shops open now, and he would have to walk almost an hour to visit each of them. “Well, it’s what you get for being an idiot!” he cursed, tossing his bag over his shoulder and grabbing his umbrella. He stepped into the wet sidewalk, and walked over to the first destination.

///

It took longer than expected; none of the shops had a redhead delivery guy working for them. “There goes my afternoon”, Naruto breathed out, exiting the Yamanaka flower shop, which had a strong lavender scent inside. Maybe it was a flower _stand_? He passed a handful of them, too, but figured they wouldn’t have a delivery service.

Naruto walked towards the city park, keeping an eye out for places Gaara could possibly work at. Thankfully the rain had stopped, so he could find somewhere to rest and think of what to do next.

He sat on a bench and spent some minutes just looking at the people passing by: a mother taking her two children to the playground, the old beggar Jiraiya strolling by, many businessmen in suits running to get to their meetings in time, and some teenagers just hanging out near the fountain. Naruto took a deep breath, taking in the aroma of the city. He moved here when he was 5 years old, and fell in love instantly with the place’s not-too-busy life and the vibrant energy of the streets.

When he glanced over to the traffic lights, he saw a glimpse of a bright red hair on a black bicycle, moving fast between the cars and the sidewalk. Naruto shouted ‘Gaara!’ but the guy didn’t hear him; so he got up and ran towards where the redhead was going. Some people stared at Naruto as he ran, but he didn’t care if he looked stupid, he _wasn’t_ going to waste his afternoon sitting around and let the poor guy starve for $15!

Luckily, Gaara didn’t go too far away, parking his bike in front of a small green building. Naruto got there a while after Gaara was inside, and spent some minutes panting with his hands on his knees. He took a steading breath and looked up, reading the façade. “Suna garden shop!” he panted. “No wonder I didn’t find this place… It’s a _garden_ shop!” Naruto straightened his back and looked at the front window: they sold some potted plants as well as bouquets, and various gardening supplies. It didn’t look so fancy, and the sign glued to the window read ‘we deliver after business hours!’ in a simple black handwriting. He checked himself in the mirror, and headed inside.

A little bell rang when he pushed the door, and a kaleidoscope of colors greeted him. The shop seemed much bigger on the inside, with various plants hanging from the ceiling, on the walls, and even planted directly on the ground in the far-left wall. He was astounded! This place was so vivid and full of colors that it took him a while to notice the two figures standing near the counter.

“Can I help you?” a feminine voice asked. Naruto snapped his head at its direction; the voice belonged to a woman with short blonde hair, which has the same tone as sand. “My name is Temari, this is our garden shop. Is there anything you need today?” She eyed him with a puzzled expression, the same Gaara had given him when Naruto handed him the helmet. Were they related? Their eye shape was quite similar.

“Uh… yeah, I think so. I’m looking for Gaara” he stated simply; the woman looked surprised. “It’s just that he, uh, delivered some flowers last Friday and I didn’t have money to pay the fee, so…” He trailed off, looking to the side.

“Wait - you’re the breakup bouquet guy?” Temari asked, with a smile on her lips. “Oh shit… I’m so sorry”, she added, trying not to laugh. A small chuckle left her lips, and Naruto gave an embarrassed smile. “I should have guessed. Absinth, some marigolds, cyclamen… I mean, meadow saffons literally say ‘our pleasant days are over’!”

Naruto was confused and a bit annoyed. “I’m glad you guys had fun at my expense”, he bit out, crossing his arms. “But it doesn’t matter, those stupid flowers don’t mean anything anymore. I burned them.”

Temari put her hands on her hips. “You _what_?”, she spat, looking utterly flabbergasted. “No one _ever_ burned one of my creations. You, young man, are on my watch list.” She made horns with her right hand, pointed to her eyes and then to him. She wasn’t really mad, Naruto noticed, just playfully teasing him. He lifted his hands and laughed a bit, easing the tension.

The other guy came from the counter. “Oi, what’s the fuss about?” he asked in a carefree tone. His face was painted with purple lines, which made Naruto think that this shop had kind of a goth-people-quota or something. “Who’s this _clown_?” The guy asked, staring at Naruto, who displayed a not-seriously-offended face.

“Whaaaaaaa-? You paint yourself like a juggalo and _I’m_ the clown?” he said and immediately regretted, because the guy looked furious. “Kankuro, please-” Temari placed herself between the two and tried to calm him down, but it was too late.

“I’m not a fucking _juggalo!_ ” Kankuro shouted over her shoulder, crossing his arms like one of Naruto’s students when they got the wrong answer on a math problem. Naruto didn’t dare to laugh at him, but he sure as hell wanted to. “You’re one to talk, what’s up with _your_ face?” Kankuro spat. “If I had your scars I’d sure want to hide in a basement!”

Alright, this was getting personal. Naruto snarled at the guy, ready to make another sassy remark about his furry-looking cat ears hat.

“What is going on here?” a calm voice said, coming from the cacti stand in the back of the shop. Gaara! Kankuro rolled his eyes and walked back to the counter like nothing happened. Temari turned around in place, crossing her arms and blocking Naruto’s path on the narrow hallway between the gardening supplies. Gaara sighed. “I leave for some minutes and you’re already scaring away our customers, Kankuro. So mature for an older brother, aren’t you?” Kankuro’s reply was really mature, too: he just let out a _‘hmph’_ and went back to reading a magazine.

Temari let her her arms drop to her sides and went back to arranging her flowers, mumbling something about ‘stupid boys’. When Gaara saw Naruto’s face, his eyes got a little bigger; he looked quite surprised to see the blond again. Naruto gave him his signature big smile, scratching the back of his head.

“H-hello Gaara! Good to see you again”, he greeted with enthusiasm. Why was he nervous? “I just thought I’d drop by to, uh, give you this!” He reached into his bag, taking the $10 card and the 5 dollar bill, which he carefully unfolded and placed next to the card. Gaara had his eyes locked on him, which only made his nervousness worse. He must be looking like shit, having walked all over the town to find this place.

“I… You didn’t need to” the redhead said, his brows furrowing. Naruto thought it was kind of endearing, the guy seemed worried about him. “It was my last delivery, anyways. It was… an interesting situation. Not for you, though”, Gaara added quickly, “since… well. Are you okay now?” He asked with genuine concern. Naruto could feel a blush creeping to his face, but fought to keep it cool.

“I’m alright” Naruto breathed out, smiling, “and uh, I came all the way over here to pay you, since I figured you’d need the money anyways, so…” he looked at the card and the bill on his hands. “Um… this bill is kinda crumpled but you can still spend it, I use money like this all the time!” Kankuro scoffed from behind his magazine. “And... maybe you can spend the gift card with someone you like?” Naruto looked up again to find Gaara staring at him.

“Someone I like...?” Gaara said slowly, looking to the side. He glanced at his siblings, who suddenly were very interested on the plants hanging from the ceiling. The redhead sighed. “There’s no one I’d like to spend a gift card with right now” he said simply.

Naruto felt a lump on his throat and gulped. He could feel the words trying to come out of his mouth, and battled to keep them inside.

“I can take you there” he blurted out, feeling the blush burning on his cheeks. Naruto looked at his hands again, wishing the ground would open and swallow him. He felt like a damn teenager! “I mean, as a favor”, he added quickly, looking up to find Gaara even more confusing, and Temari and Kankuro laughing quietly to themselves. “I dragged you with me to solve that situation, and maybe I can make up for it with a…”

“A date?” Temari shouted from her flowers, making Naruto even redder. “ _Not a date!!!_ ” he shouted back, but he didn’t know for sure. Gaara didn’t have anyone to go out with _right now_ , but Naruto wasn’t sure that he was single, or if he liked guys. “It’s just… We’re just gonna hang out”, he added hopefully, looking back at Gaara. The redhead took a few seconds to think, but finally nodded. Naruto breathed out in relief.

Gaara took off his apron and placed it on the counter. “Alright, Temari, Kankuro” they both perked up, “I’m going to _‘hang out’_ with Naruto. You two take care of the shop while I’m gone, ok? Call me if you need anything.”

*

They nodded and waved goodbye as Naruto and Gaara left through the door, and Temari broke out laughing as soon as the two were out. Kankuro looked displeased as he handed a 20 dollar bill to Temari, her sinister grin making him shudder. Who would have guessed that the blond would actually find their shop, and ask Gaara out on the very same day? Of course it had to be his nagging sister. Kankuro just couldn’t believe it...

Gaara, going on a _date_!?


	3. Chapter 3

This whole week couldn’t get crazier. Gaara spent the last Monday studying hard for a test, only to know it was cancelled and rescheduled to the next _Wednesday_. What’s up with that? He knows that most people going after an arts major in the state university don’t like to put on too much effort into their course, but hell he would take it seriously. As the younger child, a lot was expected from him; Gaara didn’t want to be in the shadow of his siblings.

Temari concluded her philosophy major 3 years ago. She’s a prodigy, stoic and intelligent, but can also be really loving and caring when needed. It was her idea to open the garden shop, after all. Kankuro only went along because he needed the money to sustain his puppeteer hobby, since he didn’t go to college and therefore didn’t have a ‘real’ ambition in life. Their father, Rasa, behaved differently with each child: he spoiled Temari, ignored Kankuro and expected nothing but perfection from Gaara.

Being the younger child always meant being given worn-down clothes, their sibling’s used toys, and less treats than they got after dinner. But he got used to it; up to this day he still preferred to use larger clothes from thrift shops, buy used wares and live only by himself. He didn't live a fancy life; he and his siblings had to work from a young age to help their father with his crops. Sometimes Gaara found some small dinosaur bones while digging holes, and for some time he thought about becoming a paleontologist; but that dream soon got crushed by Rasa and his high expectations of him.

That was the main reason why he picked Arts as his choice field: it’s creative, expressive, demands a great effort… and it’s utterly useless. His father hates it, and he loves it. Sometimes he creates intricate sand art inside a small glass vase, and sends it to Rasa. He wish he could see his reaction, whether the man smashed the vase on a wall or just emptied it’s contents before storing it in his basement. Nonetheless, it was Gaara’s way of saying a big ‘fuck you’ to his lame parenting.

So when his class got postponed, he got angry and shut everyone out. Temari wasn’t allowed into his room, and neither was Kankuro. He ate and slept very little when he was upset, a part of his trauma that he still carried. Tuesday and Wednesday were a blur, and when Thursday arrived his siblings burst into his room and made him stop sulking and come to work again. He worked until noon and left for his life drawing class, then headed to the dance room where he practiced ballet until around 11 pm

Gaara wasn’t a serious dancer, but he did enjoy the discipline and energy that dancing was able to embed into him. His siblings had gone to some of his performances in the community college, and he appreciated their effort in supporting him, even though he was a terrible younger brother (or at least he thought he was). They loved him, and he loved them too, even if he didn’t know how to show it properly most of the time.

After Thursday ended, a bright sunny Friday greeted him through the apartment window. Usually near the weekend the shop had lots of deliveries to make, and Gaara went up and down the city streets on his bike. He always made the deliveries in time, which rendered him some compliments and a few tips. That extra money meant he could go to his uncle's rock bar with Kankuro on Saturday, which made him feel happy; he didn’t have any friends here, and his brother made sure he had fun once in a while.

But Friday wasn’t done with him yet. That damn blond and his ex had to put on their little show! Gaara couldn’t imagine how an interesting and lively guy like Naruto could have ended up with that raven prick. But riding on his motorcycle had been really cool, holding the blond’s waist and letting the cold air hit his body… It was a thrill.

When Gaara told his siblings over breakfast what had happened, they both looked at each other with silly smiles on their faces and whispered something between them, ignoring Gaara, who got confused and chose to sip his coffee quietly. “Maybe your friend will come to the shop on Monday to give you the money”, Temari said with a wink and elbowing Kankuro, who nodded and smiled. “Then we’ll see what the fuss is all about.”

“There’s no ‘fuss’, and he’s not my friend” Gaara said as soon as he finished his cup. He got up and stormed to the kitchen, leaving Temari and Kankuro to make up their versions of what happened.

Gaara went straight to his bedroom, closing the door and turning on the radio. The morning sun was shining its light on his bed; his sketchbook was laying there, inviting him to vent out his feelings on its white pages. Picking up his pencils, Gaara absently drew some lines into the page, shaping them into a face. A yellow sunbeam hit the drawing, which reminded him of that blonde hair… So he added it to the figure, in all its rebellious glory. Then the thick eyebrows, the beautiful blue eyes, and those exquisite burn scars on his cheeks…

Not that Gaara’s face was any better; the black birthmarks around his eyes made people look at him weird, and was the main reason other kids bullied him in school. While he smudged the graffiti on the drawing to make the shadows and highlights, he imagined that maybe Naruto wasn’t coming to the shop on Monday, or Tuesday, or any day. Gaara must have scared the guy off with his attitude, and Naruto wouldn’t be the last person to run from him. He stared at the finished drawing: Naruto was smiling at him, his eyes glittering.

Gaara sighed and closed his notebook.

///

Saturday passed by, with Gaara helping his siblings with the house chores to receive their father the next day; he usually visited them every last Sunday of the month, to make sure they were well fed and that they were keeping the apartment and the shop in good condition. After spending the afternoon cleaning and tidying up the place, Gaara went to the bathroom for a quick shower, and did his best to put his hair into place.

He chose a pair of dark blue pants and a random band shirt to go out, analyzing himself in the mirror. His figure was average height and almost underweight; he didn’t look 23 at all, and most people would claim he was only 18 or so. He often had to show his ID to drink alcohol whenever he went to a new place. But tonight they were headed to his uncle Yashamaru’s bar downtown, and Gaara was always welcome there. He grabbed a old military jacket and headed downstairs.

Kankuro changed his face paint and was wearing a plain black shirt with black denim pants. They got into Temari’s car and headed off; the bar was miles away from their apartment, taking about 20 minutes to reach the old road where it was build. It wasn’t too crowded, which Gaara was thankful for; they had rock songs playing over speakers, with people gathering around the bar or the billiard table to play pool. He decided to sit on a raggy couch that had been left in a dark corner, and asked Kankuro to get him some rum and coke. His brother protested but complied, leaving Gaara alone.

He pulled out his phone to check for messages; there was one from Temari, telling him to behave and have fun. She used some emojis at the end, and Gaara simply replied with a _‘sure’_ , stuffing the phone back into his pocket. The loud music banged in his ears, numbing his mind and sending a pleasant sensation through his body. As Kankuro sat on the couch and handed him his glass, he was already feeling relaxed; he took a few sips of the drink, letting the alcohol warm up his body and mess with his senses.

Gaara looked around, recognizing some old faces: Sasori was chatting with a long-haired blond, his father’s stoic friend Baki was having a few beers watching the pool game, and Matsuri danced to the music, headbanging with a group of other people. She was his friend when they were kids, but their relationship grew thinner as the years went by. Gaara took another drink from his glass, and looked up to the ceiling.

“Hey Gaara, Kankuro!” he heard his uncle’s voice from the corner of the bar. Yashamaru was walking over to them, and sat on the couch between the two. “Good to see you guys again! How are my favorite nephews doing?”, he asked, putting his arms around their necks and squeezing lightly. “Up to no good today, Gaara?” Yashamaru added, motioning to his glass. The redhead lifted it, as to make a toast, and downed the rest of the drink in one big gulp. The blond man laughed.

“This week was hell” he told his uncle. Yashamaru always understood him, despite being 15 years older than Gaara. He could always count on the man to lift his spirits and offer him some life advice. “I did meet someone yesterday, though”, he added, smiling sheepishly to the blond. Yashamaru let go of Kakuro, who got up from the couch and went somewhere else to leave the two alone. Gaara ended up telling him all about last night’s episode, being careful not to show how much he had found the guy attractive or interesting. When he finished, the older man sighed and ran his hand through Gaara’s hair, messing up with the red locks.

“Y’know Gaara”, he said with a sigh, retreating his arm from the redhead’s neck, “if there’s one thing your mother taught me before she died, is that you should always go after true love.” These words made Gaara’s eyes snap towards Yashamaru, surprise showing in his face. He had been so careful! “Don’t give a damn about what people say. Don’t listen to that nagging voice in your head” he pointed to Gaara’s forehead, and then to his chest. “Only listen to your heart. That’s the way you’ll get true happiness. Not following other people’s will, but your own.”

Yashamaru winked and got up from the couch, heading to the bar and leaving Gaara to his thoughts. How could his uncle read him like a damn book? Looking at his glass, he replayed the events of last night on his head. It made him thankful that the energetic blond wasn’t with the raven anymore, since the guy was a jerk; but would he be interested in Gaara?

An unexpected motion near him pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked to the side hoping to see Kankuro; instead, a girly voice shouted his name and delicate arms hugged him from the side. “It’s so good to see you again, man!” Matsuri said happily, pulling away from the awkward hug. “Wow, Gaara, you look so good. I like your shirt!” She remarked with enthusiasm. He didn’t know how to react, offering her a small smile.

“Have you seen Kankuro around?”, Gaara asked. He’d been gone for quite some time. Matsuri bit her lower lip, thinking. “I didn’t, sorry… Are you here for the show?” she asked hopefully, taking a sip from her beer. “I heard these guys are really good. It’s unusual for cover bands to come here, don’t you think? Yashamaru should totally invite them over more often.”

Gaara could sense she was trying to engage him in conversation, but he only wanted to drink in silence and enjoy the music. He didn’t want to be rude, so he nodded and she continued her monologue.

It was only before the show started that she left his side. They made small talk about a lot of subjects, many involving Gaara’s life - if he was still living in the city, if he was seeing anyone now, where and what he was studying, etc. - and he breathed out in relief when she was gone. Kankuro showed up after that, mumbling something about her being annoying.

The rest of the night flowed smoothly. Gaara got reasonably drunk to enjoy the shitty noise the band made and tolerate other people pushing and screaming around him. They went home after 2 a.m., and Gaara slipped into a blissful sleep.

///

Rasa’s visit was short and not so sweet. He arrived around 11, had lunch with them in complete silence and proceeded to go down to the shop to inspect everything _up close_. Temari did most of the explaining, while Kakuro didn’t even bother to come with them; Gaara told his father about the increase in their delivery services and how much he was striving to do everything on bike. Rasa didn’t seem impressed, only nodding in acknowledgement to his son’s effort, but offering no words of encouragement. He congratulated Temari for her flawless management of the shop, ‘despite being a philosophy major’, he added before leaving. Gaara noticed that she went straight to her bedroom after that, listening to her sobs from the next room. He didn’t know how to comfort her, so he put on his headphones and doodled until his bedroom was too dark for him to see a thing.

///

When Monday came, Gaara felt exhausted. The store was pretty much dead on Monday mornings, even more when it was raining like that; so he and Temari took their time clipping all the dead branches and leaves on the plants, putting fertilizer in the vases and in their little spice bed. Kankuro handed the deliveries, organizing their stock for the week and labeling everything. They welcomed the few customers that entered the shop, and everytime that little bell rang, Gaara would glance at the door, hoping to see that spiky yellow hair.

He decided to occupy his mind with his cacti and succulents, watering some who were looking dry and seedling those that were big and healthy. Gaara grabbed some of the little clay vases that were delivered and went to the back room, using his brushes to paint them with various colors and drawings, and then carefully arranging them near the window to dry. By the time he finished, it was near 11 a.m., so he headed upstairs for a shower and a change of clothes; he tossed his bag over his shoulder and got his bike to go to college.

The afternoon went by slowly, and the rain did nothing to ease Gaara’s exhaustion. It poured outside the enormous windows, awakening the melancholy that came with his tiredness. He forced himself to pay attention to his teacher, who was just beginning to explain their last group project for the semester. One of his art colleagues, Sai, walked over and invited him to be a part of their group; they usually teamed up anyways, so Gaara grabbed his bag and followed Sai to where the other two were. He didn’t recognize them, since this was a Statistics class that people from various courses also took.

After discussing what they were going to do for several minutes, Sai wrote down their phone numbers and e-mail addresses to create an online board so they could work from home over the week. Gaara didn’t want this project to be a disaster, so he made sure his classmates understood the way he worked and encouraged them not to leave things to the last minute; they nodded and left, talking among themselves while walking out of the room.

“Oh Gaara”, Sai said when they were heading out, “You have to stop scaring people away like that. I’m sure Ino was staring at you all flirty, until you told her to remember to cite her references on the project!” He gave a small chuckle and looked at Gaara, who didn’t seem impressed.

“Which one was Ino? I wasn’t paying too much attention to them” he replied with a carefree tone. Sai rolled his eyes and stopped under the front door canopy, remarking to Gaara that the rain had stopped; they made small talk as Sai waited for his ride, telling each other about what they did during the weekend and such. Surprisingly for Gaara, Sai also had a troubled relationship with his family and he made a mental note to try and keep an eye on the raven. When a red Logan pulled over, Sai hopped on the passenger side and waved Gaara goodbye.

Gaara glanced at the sky, which was beginning to clear; he walked over the bike racks in the parking lot and rode his bicycle back to the shop, looking at people passing by. The energy of the city seemed to renew his own; this place was so alive and colorful, the complete opposite to where he was born. He was thankful to Temari for getting them out of Suna, and to his uncle for giving them a headstart on the garden shop. He should express those feelings more often, but every time he tried, he ruined things.

While crossing one of the main streets, he could swear he heard his name being called; but since few people knew him in this city, he kept riding. Arriving in the garden shop, he parked his bike near the main window and headed inside. Kankuro was reading his weekly motorcycle magazine, and just nodded in acknowledgement of Gaara’s presence. Temari was finishing a sale, thanking an older woman for her purchase. It’s amazing how they’re both so different with people; his sister is just naturally friendly and chatty with customers, the reason why she made so many friends in the shop’s short existence.

Gaara went to the backroom to grab his brushes and retouch the clay vases. He could go upstairs do give a headstart on his part of the group project though, and that option weighted on his mind. He put his brushes in a small bowl with water and stepped into the shop, only to find Kankuro shouting at a customer and Temari trying to calm him down. When Kankuro said that the other guy should hide in a basement because of his face, Gaara decided that he had heard enough.

_“What is going on here?”_

///

Of all the things Gaara imagined that could happen on a Monday, being asked out by a random stranger he met last Friday wasn't on his list. He managed to keep a cool attitude while he was talking to Naruto, but his mind was racing. How did the blond find him? There were at least 5 or 6 different shops in this neighborhood; but the guy didn’t look that dumb to figure out which had delivery services, even with their window sign stating so.

Also, Naruto was really nervous. Temari and Kankuro didn’t exactly help on that, bothering the poor guy as soon as he stepped into their shop and messing with him. His brother was a real jerk for pointing out Naruto’s burn scars, and Gaara made a mental note to apologize for that later, because Kankuro sure as hell wouldn’t. Temari also made the blond uncomfortable, suggesting that they were going on a date. Gaara had never been on a date, let alone with a _guy_. So Naruto’s attitude of calling the situation ‘just hanging out’ helped lessen his anxious thoughts.

It must have been quite a sight to see them walking down the street; Naruto was straight up _bouncing_ like a child, which made Gaara a bit embarrassed for him. The blond didn’t seem to mind, having a silly smile on his face. It was kind of endearing, though.

“I’m so glad I found you, man!” Naruto said, “you have no idea how many flower shops there are here! I’m pretty sure I still smell like lavender from Yamanako’s place” he added, taking a sniff at his collar. “Nah, just sweat.” The blond gave a loud chuckle, and Gaara smiled at him, taking the time to look at his face. It was tan and bright; and the scars only added to his charm, making Naruto a little mysterious. Gaara wanted to ask what happened, what (or _who_ ) had caused that, spoiling such a beautiful complexion.

Instead, he made the same motion as Naruto, smelling his shirt and making a playful disgusted face. “Sweat too”, he told the other guy, who laughed even harder.

“You’re quite the fun, Gaara”, the blond replied, and went silent. It seemed like they had been friends for years, and Gaara enjoyed the feeling while they walked together. Naruto guided them through the streets until they arrived in a simple two-story building, with big white letters painted on the red walls spelling _‘Ichiraku’s bakery and coffee shop’_.

Since it was little after 3 pm, there weren’t a lot of people for the short staff to serve; they had a few wooden tables with parasols in front of the shop, but none was being used. One of the staff members welcomed them inside, and Naruto went straight to the counter, which had glass windows displaying various sweets, and some salty food as well. The blond glued his hands to the glass, drooling at the desserts.

“Good afternoon!” A tall girl with dark brown hair greeted them from behind the counter, smiling politely. “How may I help you two today? Oh, it’s _you_ , Naruto!” she said suddenly, gasping as she noticed the blond by Gaara’s side, “It's been so long since I last saw you! My, you're turning into a beautiful young man!”

Naruto straightened himself and smiled at her. “Stop it Ayame, you're making me embarrassed!” He scratched the back of his head, blushing. Ayame giggled, her eyes glistening at him. It made Gaara’s chest feel weird – was he jealous? It was hard to deal with all these new feelings, so he shut them inside.

Naruto chatted with Ayame for a few minutes, when a man in his forties emerged from the kitchen, yelling at the girl to come help him. As he landed his eyes on Naruto, his face lit up, and he threw his arms to the air in an exaggerated display of friendliness.

“Ayame! Why didn't you tell me that Mr. Uzumaki was here?” He had a deep voice and spoke like he was shouting, but there was warmth in his tone and body language now. The girl explained that they had just arrived, and he gave a big chuckle, walking towards them. “Long time no see, you little brat. Come here so I can hug you!”

“Good to see you too, Teichi!” Naruto said as the older man stepped from behind the counter to hug him. Apparently, they knew each other from a long time, Gaara noted. He stood there awkwardly, and looked at Ayame, who was smiling fondly at the two; she noticed Gaara’s gaze and offered him that same smile. He looked away, embarrassed.

Naruto pulled away from the hug and pointed at Gaara with his thumb. “This guy over there is Gaara, he’s my friend”, he said happily. Gaara felt that funny sensation on his stomach again. “He works at the Suna Garden Shop… But right now we’re starving for some good old Ichiraku’s baked goods!”, Naruto added with a smile.

“Say no more!” Teichi stated warmly, taking the two men to a small table near one of the windows. “Here, your favorite table, Naruto! Always saved for you. So, how’s Sasuke?”, he asked as they sat down, raising an eyebrow. It must have been weird for him to see Naruto at his coffee shop with another man; did Naruto usually bring Sasuke here on their dates? Gaara tried to push away that thought - it made him mad, for some reason.

“I don’t know, we’re not together anymore”, Naruto replied dryly. Teichi audibly gasped, then shook his head. “You young people are so complicated”, he said, “but what matters is that you’re better now”, he said, looking at Naruto with paternal affection. “You should never give up pursuing true love and happiness, Naruto.” He placed his hand on the blond’s shoulder, who tensed at the touch. Naruto put his hand on top of the man’s and squeezed it, saying a small ‘thank you’ and lowering his head.

Teichi turned his attention to Gaara. “So, you’re _Gaara_ … Never seen you around here. Trust me, I’d remember!” He laughed again. Gaara noticed he had some age lines on his cheeks and eyes, maybe from all the smiling and laughing he did. “Naruto is a fine guy, one in a million… A real keeper!” He nudged Gaara with his elbow, winking; the redhead stared at him, not understanding what he meant by that.

“Ok old man, that’s enough talking for today!” Naruto protested, pushing him away. Teichi went back to the kitchen, laughing so loud that it drew attention from the customers. Naruto was red as a beet, hiding behind the menu. Gaara gave a small chuckle and picked up the menu in front of him to choose something to eat. He usually didn’t eat much, but since he went to class without having eaten lunch, he was feeling kinda hungry.

“You have to try the triple chocolate cake they make here. It’s heavenly!” Naruto told him, showing Gaara the picture on the menu. It looked delicious, but… Gaara didn’t like sweets that much. When he told Naruto that, the blond just shook his head and smiled. “I’m gonna order it for me, and if you want I’ll give you a little bit, alright? Then maybe you’ll rethink that statement.” He gave Gaara a wink, and this time it was the redhead that had to hide behind his menu.

Gaara ended up choosing a cheese and tomato omelet, with plain black coffee to go with it. Naruto didn't order a drink, since his cake would be too sweet for him to taste anything else. They sat in silence for a while; Naruto looked through the window and said something about how he liked sunny days but also didn't mind the rain. Gaara found that endearing and chose not to reply; he let the blond continue his monologue while Gaara stared at him, resting his chin on his hand.

Naruto was too pretty for words. Gaara thought of many ways to define his beauty, but he simply couldn’t. He never felt like this, so incredibly drawn to a person, who was also interested in him. Even if it’s just a friendship that Naruto wants, that will be enough for Gaara; and he thought he couldn’t handle being more, actually. His heart almost jumped out when Naruto had called him his friend, he was sure he’d die if the blond ever made romantic advances at him. Was he being dramatic? He didn’t understand love, but he managed to deceive his mind and tune it in the right direction, away from those thoughts.

But his heart… It betrayed him. It longed for the touch of those hands, and the feel of those lips. He forced himself to think of something else, and searched his mind for topics he could talk about with Naruto. Gaara asked Naruto what did he work with, fidgeting with his hands. The blond seemed to wake up from a dream, looking away from the window.

“I’m a teacher at Konoha Kindergarten School” he said, “but my goal is to get my English major as soon as possible to teach at higher levels.” He began playing with the napkins on the table, talking absently without looking at Gaara. “I take my classes on the community college, since I'm short on money... As you know.” He frowned, and Gaara fixed his eyes on him, nodding. “So my dad and I decided to look up cheaper colleges, and I studied hard to get into the one in this neighborhood so I don't spend much on gas too.” He sighed.

Gaara wasn’t familiar with that struggle; Rasa paid for his classes, but only because his wife made him promise he'd send all the kids to college and look after them. Gaara grew up sheltered and cared for, but with lots of expectation from his family. He took a deep breath and looked out the window, crossing his arms in a defensive stance.

“This is my last semester, after that I'm finally free”, he blurted out, feeling awkward. “Maybe I'll try a scholarship to get a bachelor's degree or something, so I can spend a bit more of my _daddy's money_ on a useless degree.” There, he said it - maybe with more sarcasm than needed. Naruto's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

After a few minutes of silence, the blond chuckled. “Heh, that's weird. You chose to study arts just to spite your father?”

“Pretty much”, Gaara replied simply. “Don't get me wrong; I love my field of choice. It's time consuming, perfect for self-expression, but also completely useless. You can't eat art. Sometimes you can't even sell it.”

“But you can feel it”, Naruto remarked, pointing at Gaara. “And if it makes you feel something, whether it's good or bad, it's not useless.” He sounded like one of Gaara's teachers, and that thought made him wheeze. Naruto remained serious, narrowing his eyes at Gaara, but then gave in and displayed his signature smile.

Ayame came to their table with two plates, placing them in front of the men. She wished them a nice meal and informed Gaara that she would bring his coffee shortly. Naruto eyed the steamy omelet on Gaara’s plate and waited for him to take the first bite.

Gaara looked at the other man with a lifted brow, deciding to grab the fork and cut out a piece of the meal. He took the first bite; the tomatoes were fresh and juicy, and the cheese had a strong flavor which mixed well with the herbs. Gaara closed his eyes and gave a deep breath, his body thankful for its first meal in hours.

When he opened his eyes again, the blond was staring at him. “Good, isn't it? Now try mine!”, he said, taking his spoon to scoop a small piece of the cake. Naruto offered him the piece, a childish smile playing on his lips. Gaara decided to accept it, taken the spoon from his hand.

It wasn't so sweet after all; one of the fillings used was dark chocolate, so the cocoa's bitterness made this cake a perfect combination of flavors. Gaara hummed as he chewed, and noticed that Naruto was waiting for his opinion on it.

“It’s good” the redhead said, shrugging. Naruto smiled and took his spoon back, digging into the cake himself. “I told ya”, he managed to say between bites.

They ate in silence after that; Ayame brought Gaara's coffee and a cup of chamomile tea for Naruto ‘on the house’. When they finished their meals, Naruto brought up his job again, and bragged about how much his students liked him. Gaara was impressed, since he doesn’t have a way with children, and listened with renewed interest as Naruto told him about his day.

“... And then I found the shop! I'm so glad it worked out… I didn't want you to think I was trying to scam you or anything”, Naruto confessed, his face full of worry. “Also, aren't you gonna get in trouble for leaving during your shift? Dang, I was so worried about if it would be ok to take you here that I didn't even check if you _could_ come!”, he said in exasperation.

Gaara found all that concern for him overwhelming. “I'm here, that's what matters”, he shrugged. “My siblings are pretty laid back, and we don't have many customers on Mondays anyway…” He trailed off, looking at Naruto. The blond had this sad smile on his face, and Gaara could see he was forming and apology in his head.

He decided to grab his attention by placing his hand on top of Naruto’s, who jumped at the sudden touch. “It's okay, really”, Gaara reassured, shocked at his own courage. Was the touching too much for Naruto? “You made my day a lot more interesting. Thank you”, he breathed out, putting his hand back on his jacket pockets quickly.

Naruto was blushing, looking at his own hand with a small smile. He gave a big sigh and laid back on the chair, picking up his cup to sip the tea slowly. His eyes drifted to the window again; Gaara worried that he’d done something wrong. God, why did he had to mess this up?

There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he needed to know about that man. But he was scared he might fuck it up, and then he’d lose the only person that wanted to be his friend; he couldn’t afford that. So he chose to remain silent, staring at his empty cup.

“Did I do something wrong?” Naruto’s voice sounded small and worried, and made Gaara look up again. “I-I don’t want to push you away”, he said, rubbing his left arm. “There’s just a lot on my mind right now. I hope you understand.” Gaara was confused; he’s the one who should be apologizing and saying those kinds of things.

“Naruto…” he began, only to be interrupted by Teichi, who came to check on them. “Is everything ok, gentlemen? Was the food edible?” he asked, giving a big laugh. Gaara thought that the man should have read the mood; but Naruto didn’t even flinch before changing his posture to appear content to Teichi, saying his praises and stating that everything was perfect. The older man ruffled Naruto’s hair and left them alone, and the blond immediately sulked back into his sad state.

“What was that just now?”, Gaara asked him, furrowing his brows. Naruto chuckled uncomfortably and shifted on his seat, staring at the redhead. “I just don’t want Teichi to see me sad. Not that you’ve done anything wrong”, he added quickly, “it’s just that sometimes my head plays some tricks on me, and I start to think I’m messing things up.”

“You’re not”, Gaara stated, his voice unwavering. “You’re my friend, remember? I don’t want to see my friend being hard on himself for no reason.” He was astounded by how mature that sounded. “Okay? Let’s work that out”, he added, offering Naruto a small smile in encouragement. The blond nodded happily. “Okay, _friend._ ”

Gaara felt genuinely happy now. He managed to help another person feel better, something he thought that was impossible. But then, he had a pretty unusual week, so unusual situations could happen. A smile formed on his lips as he wondered if that meant he was growing as a person. He didn’t want to be a burden to his family, and even less to his new _friend_. Even the word carried a heavy meaning for Gaara, who grew up deprived of actual bonding.

Things were about to change. He didn't believe in fate, but maybe Naruto's arrival in his life could mean something good, a way to make things right, to make himself better. He looked up to the blond, who was also deep in thought.

“Are you ready to go?” Gaara asked, noticing it was almost 5 pm. Naruto nodded and got up, grabbing his bag and walking to the counter. Just now, Gaara noted that his phone had been silent the whole time they were there; maybe nothing big happened on the shop, or his siblings just decided to give Gaara a well-deserved break. Either way, he was happy the afternoon went well.

Naruto was finishing talking to Ayame and handed her the $10 gift card to pay for their orders. The girl looked from the card to Naruto and sighed, shaking her head.

“Oh dear… Naruto, your total is $22. You can't pay the whole thing with this card, sorry!”, she explained with a embarrassed smile. Naruto turned all shades of pink and tried to explain himself, offering to come by later to bring the rest of the money.

Gaara pulled up his wallet and handed the girl a 20 dollar bill; he wanted to be a good friend and save Naruto from that awkward situation. The blond placed himself between Gaara and Ayame, blocking him from giving he the money.

“No, Gaara, it's okay! I brought you here to enjoy a nice meal on me, and not pay for it! I’m so so sorry, I should have checked the prices before ordering… Dad’s right, I’m a big knucklehead!” he sighed angrily at himself.

“Naruto, please. Don't stress about this, I can pay for my omelet and for the coffee. It’s also my fault I chose something so expensive”, Gaara said, staring at the blond. Naruto’s pout stayed firmly in place; he crossed his arms and stomped his feet. In another situation, Gaara would find that endearing - he was acting so childishly that it was hard for Gaara to maintain a stoic face. “There’s no need to-”

“Now just _what_ is going on here?”, Teichi shouted, interrupting their argument. “You boys shouldn't be arguing on your first date, it's not polite! Naruto, where are your manners? Let the boy pay!” Gaara’s mind was racing; did he say _date_?! Naruto looked as flabbergasted as him, but didn't have time to retort at the man. Teichi accepted Gaara’s bill and went to the register, handing him the change and wishing them both a nice evening. “Now Ayame, would you kindly accompany our guests to the exit? If they run, they might make it back to the shop without getting themselves drenched.”

As Ayame was happily obeying her father and pushing them towards the exit, Gaara could see the sky above the building turning grey; the wind was howling and people on the street were running to their cars, clutching their umbrellas. The girl stopped when they reached the door, wishing them a nice evening as well. She gave Naruto a hug and apologized for what Teichi had said, but the blond dismissed her and thanked her for everything. Gaara also said his goodbyes to her, receiving a quick hug from the girl.

They both stepped into the sidewalk. “I live in that direction”, Naruto said awkwardly, looking at Gaara and then up to the sky, which was getting darker by the second. “Do you want me to walk you back to the shop? It would be kinda rude not to take you home”, he added and blushed, realizing _what_ that sounded like.

“I can handle myself, Naruto. Don’t worry”, the redhead said quietly, but still wished to have Naruto by his side as he walked back. He fidgeted with his hands on his pockets, and felt raindrops fall on his head. He looked at Naruto, who was staring at him, not knowing exactly what to do. Gaara felt a strong urge to step forward and touch that beautiful face, but restrained himself. Instead, he offered his hand to the blond, who eyed it for a few seconds, and finally took it. His hand was soft and warm, just like when Gaara touched it before…

“I guess this is a goodbye then. Maybe I’ll see you around?” Naruto asked hopefully, shaking his hand. Gaara didn’t want this moment to end, but the sky was getting darker and the wind blew furiously, urging them to part ways. “Maybe we will. You can visit the shop whenever you need new flowers”, Gaara said, “since you burned that awful bouquet.”

Naruto laughed a bit and nodded, still holding Gaara’s hand. He didn’t want to let go, either. “Yeah, you got me. I’ll come by when I have some spare time. Until then”, he let go of Gaara’s hand and took something from his pocket, “I want you to have my phone number. So we can always talk, yeah?” Gaara glanced at the smudged handwriting on the napkin – from the coffee shop, he noted – and stored it in his jacket pocket, nodding at Naruto.

The blond gave him a big smile, and turned around to leave. He walked a few steps and looked back, smiling and waving at Gaara, who was still by the door. Gaara offered a shy wave, and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. He turned to the shop’s direction, walking slowly to give his mind time to think about this afternoon. Once again, they parted ways, and Naruto’s presence lingered in his mind.

The rain came down mercilessly; Gaara didn’t bother to run or even walk faster. He would enjoy this rain as it washed down his past self, those shameful habits that kept him from making friends and caring about others. He would let go of his self-hatred as well – seeing the same mannerisms in Naruto was like looking through a mirror, and he didn’t like it. Gaara knew Naruto was a good person, why couldn’t he see it? Was Gaara also good, but couldn’t see his own accomplishments, only his faults and flaws?

This change couldn’t have come in a better time. By the time Gaara was back to the shop, he was drenched and shaking from the cold, but completely renewed inside. Temari’s words didn’t get through his good mood, and neither did Kankuro’s attempt to bully him for making him do the deliveries in his place. He just apologized for the trouble he would cause them and went upstairs for a hot shower. When he laid in bed and closed his eyes, the afternoon memories came to him, and he slipped into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Iruka was waiting by the door, hands on his hips, just like Kushina used to do whenever Naruto brought a mud-dirty frog inside. Naruto decided to go to Iruka’s house instead of his apartment, even though it was much farther from the coffee shop. He was soaked and shivering on the porch, putting on his puppy face so his stepfather would be less angry at him.

It didn’t work.

“You are in trouble, young man. What were you  _ thinking _ ?” Iruka began, handing a towel to the blond. Naruto dried his face and hair as best as he could, and wrapped the towel around himself. He knew Iruka wasn’t  _ really _ angry, he just pretended to be mad as a way of showing his concern over Naruto. 

“I wasn’t.”, he replied sarcastically, “I just forgot my umbrella at that garden shop. Besides, catching a little rain isn’t so bad!” he added, sneezing loudly and wiping his nose on the towel. Iruka stared at him, his eyes wide and his left eyebrow twitching.

“ _ NOT SO BAD? _ You’re 25, Naruto! Did you really think walking in this rain for _ over an hour  _ was good idea?! That’s it,  _ you’re grounded. _ ”, he said as Naruto stepped into the old house. Another fact about Iruka is that he just didn’t realize that Naruto grew up. In his head, he was still that same 5 years old boy who tugged at his shirt in a miserable orphanage. Naruto couldn’t blame him, when all his actions still resonated with those of a 5-year-old.

“Aw dad, come on! I know I messed up, I'm sorry… But I wanted to see you! You won't believe the day I had… I found that delivery guy I told you about!”, he said, trying to distract Iruka from his lecture. The older man took a deep breath and calmed himself, taking another towel from the pile of clothes he was folding and handing it to Naruto.

“Alright, I'm sorry for screaming at you. I’ll make you some soup and you can tell me all about your day over dinner. Now go have a bath, we’ll talk later.” He ruffled Naruto’s wet hair and took the towel he was using to the laundry bin, following the blond with his eyes until he disappeared into the bathroom.

Naruto turned on the faucet to fill the narrow bathtub, grabbing shampoo and soap to wash himself. All of his clothes were drenched, and he tossed them on the laundry bin near the sink. Luckily his phone was in his bag and didn't get wet; he checked it for messages, surprised that there was none from Gaara yet. He replied to Sakura and Hinata’s texts and remembered to send Shikamaru a meme he saw earlier. Maybe Gaara had just gotten home, too, and was in the same situation that Naruto. Putting his phone back into the bag, he stepped into the steaming water.

///

When Iruka set the pot on the table, Naruto didn't wait for it to cool down before serving himself a plate and digging in. All that running had made him hungry as hell, and he didn't eat as much as he wanted at Ichiraku’s. He told Iruka everything that had happened on his day, and his father commented on how rude Gaara’s siblings sounded in his story; he did like the redhead, though. Naruto left some details out of his narrative, like how Gaara’s touch had felt when he placed his hand on top of Naruto’s, and how many times he thought about kissing the redhead on their goodbye. His dad didn’t need further encouragement to set Naruto up with any gay or bi man he met.

“So, you gave Gaara your number… Any luck yet?”, Iruka asked with a wink. “No, nothing.”, Naruto replied, slurping a spoonful of soup. Maybe _Gaara’s_ _phone_ got rained on and spoiled, thus making it impossible for him to reach Naruto…? No, he was overthinking this. “Maybe he just doesn’t feel like texting today.”, he said, but couldn’t hide his sad tone. 

Was their date –  _ no, not a date! _ – a bad one? He tried so hard to make everything right, avoiding making Gaara uncomfortable by asking too many questions or talk too much like he usually did with everyone. His insecurities got the best of him though, and the redhead had to bring him back to Earth; his efforts almost went down the drain. And the money thing… he looked like a broke college student. No wonder Gaara didn’t text him yet, maybe the redhead didn’t even want to see him again!

Wait, he was doing that again – being too hard on himself. Gaara wouldn’t want him to sulk like this. It was almost like he understood Naruto’s anxiety and how it tried to sabotage his mind. Perhaps Gaara was also anxious and had image issues just like him… though one could easily mistake the redhead’s birthmarks as just a dark makeup around his eyes.

But Naruto’s scars were ugly and took up a good portion of his face, mainly his cheeks. He was called a freak many times in his childhood, and when his teenage years came, the only friends who he managed to keep were ‘freaks’ like him: Rock Lee, with his bushy eyebrows; Sakura-chan, the Japanese transfer student with a huge forehead; and Hinata Hyuuga, the daughter of an important businessman born blind, with eyes white as moonlight. They were still friends up to this day, though Lee moved cities and couldn’t see them in person anymore.

“Hey, Naruto”, Iruka was snapping his fingers in front of the blond's face. “Wake up! Your soup will go cold if you stay inside your head for too long.”, he added. “You’ve got to rest too, unless you’re staying home tomorrow. It’s almost 8 pm”, he noted, looking at the clock on the wall.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts, sighing; a sudden weakness was taking over him. He ran his hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head, deciding he didn't need any more soup. He got up and took his plate to the sink, washing it absentmindedly. His stepfather followed suit, eyeing him suspiciously.

“You’re weird today, Naruto. This is not like you”, Iruka remarked, grabbing a dish towel to dry the glasses. “Is everything ok? Do you want to talk?” That condescending tone, combined with a reassuring hand on his shoulder, almost made Naruto cry; but he showed strength through a big smile.

“I’m fine, dad. Don’t worry about me.”, he said, drying his hands on a towel. Naruto scrunched his face and sneezed one, then two times, and a few more as he walked to the bathroom, locking the door behind him and opening the mirror cabinet on the wall to take some flu medicine. He  _ couldn’t _ get sick; finals week were just by the corner and he needed to be healthy enough to take his tests and give the last lessons to his students before their summer vacation. He swallowed two big gulps from the bottle and placed it on the sink, looking at himself in the mirror.

His blue eyes looked tired and a bit watery, and he blinked a few times to clear them. Taking a bit of lotion from a tube, he smeared it on his cheeks, rubbing it on the damaged skin while looking straight into his own eyes. Sasuke had called him beautiful many times, and kissed his face without showing disgust as others did; and now he left him, breaking up through a flower bouquet and a damn card. 

Naruto looked down at his hands. Was he worthy of love? The person he had given everything for left without a second thought. Sasuke was probably having fun in Japan,  _ alone _ . Single. He wouldn't have any trouble finding someone else. But what about Naruto? He wasn't sure he could open up again so easily.

A few droplets hit his hand, and he noticed he was crying. He didn't dare to look at himself in the mirror; his face was awful when he cried. That was why he avoided it at all costs, burying those nasty feelings deep inside him and plastering a smile on his face for everyone to see. He took a shuddering breath, but couldn't make the tears stop falling.

His phone buzzed in his pants pocket, bringing his mind back to the real world. He ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone right now. The doorknob to the bathroom turned a few times, and Iruka’s voice came from behind the door. “Naruto… I know you’re sad, son. I know you’re still hurting. If you want to talk about  _ this _ , whatever that is, I’ll be in my room.” Silence… “Alright. I love you, goodnight.” Naruto listened as his father’s footsteps got further away from the bathroom door. 

He didn’t want to keep his stepfather away, but not even himself could understand those feelings. Did he like Gaara, and that attraction made him worry about his appearance? No, Gaara is his friend; Naruto’s feelings are just confused because of the breakup. It’s not healthy to start another relationship days after ending one, and his friends assured him that they would be there for him. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, forcing his brain to think rationally.

All he needed now was a good night’s rest, and he would sort everything out tomorrow. Naruto wiped away the tears and brushed his teeth, heading upstairs. Iruka’s bedroom door was closed, and Naruto could hear a light snoring coming from inside. He must have been really tired then, having worked all day at the next city's college campus.

At the end of the hallway, there was a guest bedroom that belonged to Naruto before he moved out to live alone. Sasuke had suggested that Naruto move to his apartment after they had been dating for a year and a half, but the blond always postponed it. Now he was alone… Damn it. His mind always went back to that stupid Uchiha. He needed a distraction.

Naruto flopped on top of the bed, burying his face on the soft pillows and closing his eyes. Memories of that afternoon came to him: the energy of the city, Gaara’s slow pace by his side, the smell of Ichiraku’s baked goods, Gaara’s closed eyes as he tried Naruto’s cake, those inviting pink lips forming a small smile, and the caress of his hand on top of Naruto’s. He sighed into the pillows, though he really wanted to scream; to let out all of this frustration, these confusing feelings he couldn’t make up.

Rolling on to his back, Naruto reached for the phone inside his pocket. There were 7 notifications from his messaging app; he decided to ignore those and browse Twitter for a few minutes, retweeting memes and tagging some of his friends as well as his work colleagues. When nothing new was showing on his feed anymore, he pulled down the notifications bar and glanced over the messages he received. 

_[6:35]_ ** _sakura:_** hey knucklehead, up for some drinks today? hinata is coming 😉 

_ [6:41]  _ **_sakura:_ ** we're going without youuuuu ✌✌

_[7:13]_ ** _sakura:_** boo, you whore!

Naruto opened the attachment to this text: it was a picture of Sakura, Hinata (looking slightly in the wrong direction) and an unknown woman with long bottle-blonde hair; part of it was falling in front of her right eye like a fringe. 

_[8:13]_ **_naruto:_** have fun without me lol

 _[8:13]_ **_naruto:_** bit tired today, see u guys around

 _[8:14]_ **_naruto:_** i know u miss me cus this blond girl looks just like ya boy naruto here…. nice try tho 😌

He closed this chat and moved to the next one.

_ [6:49]  _ **_kakashi:_ ** naruto. did you take my book from the teachers lounge? ...ebisu said it was you

_ [8:17]  _ **_naruto:_ ** i didn’t even see it!! ebisu prob took it and tried to blame me 🤷

_ [8:17]  _ **_kakashi:_ ** alright. see you tomorrow

Surprisingly, Kakashi soon replied and went offline. Naruto went to the next chat, noticing it was from an unknown number, sent several minutes ago.

_[8:05]_ **_unknown:_** hey there handsome. sakura said ur single n gave me ur number 😜 maybe we can meet up this week? 😘

He didn’t even bother to reply to that one; it was probably that blonde woman. Not his type. Their friends’ group chat had three messages from Lee; long inspirational texts about working out and living a youthful life, that Naruto didn’t even bother reading. He was too tired for this now.

Naruto sighed. Not one of those 7 notifications were from Gaara, then. The redhead must have his own reasons for not texting him; it’s not like Naruto was expecting him to… Oh, who was he fooling? He really wanted to know if Gaara had made it safely to his place. Maybe he should have gotten the redhead’s number instead of giving him his own? Damn it.

He set his alarm for the next day and placed his phone on the nightstand next to the bed, trying his best to numb his mind and go to sleep. After a few minutes, the flu medicine kicked in and he passed out.

///

The dream came to him as soon as he became unconscious.

They were back at Ichiraku’s. It was sunny outside, and sunshine came through the window on that same table they were earlier that day. It hit Gaara’s entire being, making him shine, his flaming red hair looking like pure fire.

He gave Naruto a big, genuine smile, closing his eyes a little. When he opened them again, their bluish-green tones didn’t hold his usual melancholy, but instead were content and full of appreciation for Naruto’s presence in his life. In the dream, Naruto clenched his hand over his chest and looked away.

Gaara placed his hand on top of Naruto’s, just like he’d done before; but this time their fingers interlocked, and Naruto forced himself to look at the redhead again.

“Naruto…” His name sounded so nice in Gaara’s deep voice. It echoed inside Naruto’s head, the vision spinning and dissolving as the dream changed. Now they were outside, and a heavy rain poured on them.

Not seeming to mind the rain, Gaara offered his hand with that same smile, as if he knew how much Naruto longed for his touch. But Naruto wouldn’t let his feelings show, not when even himself knew what those feelings were. He lowered his eyes to his feet, trying to sort out his thoughts.

The redhead kept his hand extended. A few seconds passed; Naruto looked up at Gaara, deciding to accept the handshake, only to discover his own hand didn’t respond to his will. No matter how hard he tried, his hand didn’t move… His whole  _ body _ didn’t move. 

He looked at Gaara, who was waiting for the blond to take his hand. Time passed by slowly, and his body was still stuck. Gaara’s eyes suddenly lost that spark, and he looked down to his hand, his smile vanishing. Turning around, he walked down the street, stopping once to look back above his shoulder. When no response came from the blond, he resumed his pace, disappearing from Naruto’s sight.

He wanted to run. He wanted to scream for Gaara to come back, but he couldn’t. Naruto had ruined everything again! Why couldn’t he make this right? Not even… in his  _ dreams? _

///

A loud beeping disrupted Naruto’s deep sleep. He sighed as he reached for his phone and pressed the snooze button, turning to the other side and covering his head with another pillow. Two minutes later, the beeping resumed, and it took a lot of strength for him not to throw the device into the nearest wall.

He got up slowly, taking his phone and checking the time. It was 7:25, meaning that he had to choose between eating breakfast and showering; he picked the latter, rushing to the small bathroom on the end of the hallway. Iruka shouted his name from downstairs, but he ignored it; he could talk to his stepfather after he was ready.

While scrubbing his body, he noted it was less sore than last light, but his head still hurt. He rinsed and dried himself in lighting speed, putting on the clothes his stepfather had left for him and grabbing his bag from the small bedroom. When he got downstairs, Iruka was waiting by the door with his car keys and a lunchbox in his hands, just like when he was little.

“Let’s go, I’ll give you a ride to school today. Just you and me, eh? Like the old times!” Iruka said enthusiastically, ruffling the blond’s hair with a smile on his face. Naruto wasn’t in a good mood today, but he managed to show him a toothy smile, taking the lunchbox and entering the old car. 

They drove in silence for a while. “How are you feeling today, Naruto?”, the older man asked, concern showing in his voice. “I heard you tossing and turning last night.” He braked slowly as they approached a red light, and looked at Naruto, who shrugged and clutched his bag, staring straight at the road.

“I’m a bit better, the flu medicine I took worked… But my head still hurts.”, he added, touching his forehead and sighing.

“Is that  _ the only thing _ that’s bothering you?”, Iruka persisted, raising an eyebrow. His father could read him like a book, and sensed when he was trying to hide something. Naruto threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

“Yeah! I mean, no, but I don’t wanna bother you. It’s just some teenage drama I can’t shake off.”, he blurted out, burying his head in his hands. This was too complicated; his feelings, his thoughts,  _ his dreams _ . He didn’t want to think about it, though he knew he had to tell someone. He couldn’t bury it all inside!

Iruka sighed, thinking of what to reply. Naruto took the opportunity to search for his phone to text Sakura, only to find out he had left it at home.

“Shit.”, he said out loud. His stepfather gave him a side eye; he didn’t like hearing Naruto curse. “Sorry, I realized I left my phone at your house. It’s too late to go back now… Dang it.” He slouched on the car seat, looking out the window.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll bring it to you when I come pick you up at college.” Iruka’s eyes were facing forward. “Focus on your teaching today, alright? Whatever needs to happen, the universe will make it happen.”, he added ominously.

Naruto furrowed his brows, thinking. “Maybe this  _ is _ a sign…”, he mumbled to himself. 

The car pulled into a parking spot near the school and Naruto hopped off, thanking Iruka for the ride and running towards the entrance, shooting a quick  _ ‘Good morning!’ _ to Moegi and making his way to the classroom.

///

After teaching for what it felt like 10 full hours and having a quick lunch break, Naruto was making his way by foot to the college campus. His head was still spinning from all the shouting he had to endure during class, and there was no music to distract him from his thoughts; walking around without music was lame as hell. Also, it made room for that nagging voice inside his head that he tried so hard to ignore all morning.

The voice that told him Gaara tossed out the napkin. That he didn’t want to see Naruto again. That he wasn’t  _ deserving  _ of love… He didn’t want to be overcome by those thoughts, but they came in waves and washed over him, leaving him cold inside.

A loud voice calling his name grabbed his attention and he turned in its direction, noticing it belonged to a tall girl with pink hair who was walking towards him.

“Sakura-chan!”, he managed to say before a strong fist connected with his right arm, making him stumble to the side. “What the hell???” Naruto rubbed his arm, whining while Sakura adjusted her nurse uniform.

“ _ Shannaro! _ That’s what you get for ignoring my texts,  _ baka _ . You know I hate being left on read!” She shouted on the sidewalk, and a few passerby people eyed the two. “Luckily for you I had a good time last night, so I took it easy on this punch.”, she said with a wink. 

When Sakura noticed Naruto wasn’t in a good mood, her playful anger was replaced with careful affection; she apologized and asked if there was anything wrong, to which Naruto replied no.

“I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.”, he said, forcing a smile. Sakura didn’t buy it, frowning at him and demanding that he would be sincere with her. Naruto sighed and resumed his walk, with Sakura following suit. She pressured him into talking, and he gave her a brief narration of this morning’s events as they walked to their classrooms, explaining that he forgot his phone and couldn’t reply to her text.

When she asked why he didn’t want to go out last night, he had to tell about the rain and then about Gaara. Her eyes went wide as he glossed over their meeting, and just as Naruto finished speaking, she squealed like a little girl.

“Wahhh Naruto! Why didn’t you tell us about this Gaara guy? You should have mentioned him on Saturday, we could have easily found him for you!” Sakura said enthusiastically, lingering by the stairs that led to her Anatomy class. 

“That’s  _ exactly _ why!” Naruto replied, “Sometimes you’re all too eager. I don’t need you setting me up with another person so soon,” he added while walking away from her, “I’m doing fine on my own.”

“We both know that’s not true, Uzumaki Naruto!” Sakura shouted back from the stairs, but Naruto didn’t bother to look back. He  _ knew _ it wasn’t true.

///

The classes went by without major events, and by the end of the day Naruto had more assignments due that he could count on his fingers. Finals were approaching, so all of his teachers handed extra exercises to help them warm up for the tests. Luckily a few of them were group projects and most of his classmates were as hardworking as Naruto himself.

Tossing his bag over his shoulder, he made a beeline to the parking lot, trying to locate Iruka’s car among the mess that was traffic at the end of the class. Some of his colleagues greeted him while leaving - Choji, Shino and Karin - but he didn’t engage too much with them as to avoid being asked what’s wrong. 

Iruka parked the car in front of him and honked lightly, startling Naruto, who quickly got inside the car and hugged his stepfather tightly, apologizing for acting like an idiot this morning.

“It’s okay son,”, Iruka wheezed in his arms, “I know you didn’t mean it. Just tell me if you need any help, alright?” Naruto nodded in their embrace, and buried his face on Iruka's jacket; the older man turned off the car engine and wrapped his arms around his stepson, placing a supportive hand on his head.

Naruto huffed a few times, and small sobs came from his throat. Iruka hugged him tightly, rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Naruto felt the tears coming, and couldn’t hold them this time, crying into the soft fabric and sobbing lightly.

“Oh, my poor boy,”, Iruka said, just like when Naruto used to come home after school sporting bruises and a pout. “Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make you some ramen, and you’ll be better soon. I promise.” Naruto pulled away slowly from the hug, wiping the tears and nodding quietly. Iruka started the car again, and they drove off.

///

After three bowls of ramen, Naruto felt  _ really _ better. Between bites and slurps, he told his stepfather how his day went, and confessed some of the thoughts in his mind towards Gaara.

“I’m worried he didn’t like me at all, and tossed away my number. I mean, I’m a loudmouth, and he’s quiet and reserved. Maybe we shouldn’t be friends after all...”, he blurted out, chugging the rest of the broth from his bowl.

“Well, you can’t be sure, can you? Besides, from what you’ve told me, he really wants to be your friend.” Iruka was pointing his hashi to Naruto, who gulped. “And, from what you told me, he said that you shouldn’t be hard on yourself. Did you forget about that?” The blond stared at his empty bowl, thinking. “He needs a friend.  _ You _ need a friend. This can work, Naruto. You’re not one to give up so easily, right?” Iruka winked and nudged at his son, stacking all the bowls and taking them to the sink to wash.

Naruto sat on the chair, his arms resting on the table. Maybe – no,  _ surely  _ – he was overreacting, and should try to take his mind off this subject and let the Universe do its work. He went upstairs and took his phone, which Iruka had already left charging for him. There were a lot of unread messages, and still none from a different number. He decided to greet his friends on the group chat.

_ [6:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** what’s up everybody

_ [6:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** anyone else feel like dying with finals coming? 

_ [6:46]  _ **_naruto:_ ** we could meet up this weekend for a movie night at dad’s, who’s with me?  **_@hinata @sakura @shikamaru_ **

_ [6:48]  _ **_hinata:_ ** I can’t this weekend, Neji is coming to visit. But Shikamaru said he was going camping with his dad at Shikamaru right?

_ [6:49]  _ **_naruto:_ ** you didn’t @ him right hina, here:  **_@shikamaru_ **

_ [6:52]  _ **_hinata:_ ** Oh thank you Naruto my speech to text is kinda buggy today.

_ [6:52]  _ **_hinata:_ ** Is everything alright? Sakura said she saw you today and you were in a bad mood can I help you with anything?

_ [6:55]  _ **_naruto:_ ** it’s alright hinata, thanks for your concern  😊

_ [6:56]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** what’s the deal with all these messages? can't you guys shut up for 5 minutes? geez

_ [6:57]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** also yeah  **_@hinata_ ** , I’m going camping but it's only two weeks from now

_ [6:57]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** thought about inviting you guys but the car is going to be too cramped so we’re leaving mom behind too :/

_ [6:58]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** she’s scheduled to work on that weekend sadly

_ [7:01]  _ **_naruto:_ ** oh that’s too bad

_ [7:01]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** yeah

_ [7:09]  _ **_sakura:_ ** hey Naruto did gaara text u yet?  **_@everyone_ ** naruto has a crush

_ [7:10]  _ **_hinata:_ ** What no way!

_ [7:10]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I DON’T! he’s my friend you goofs

_[7:11]_ ** _shikamaru:_** friend lol

 _[7:12]_ ** _sakura:_** friend lol

_ [7:14]  _ **_hinata:_ ** Friend LOL

_ [7:15]  _ **_sakura:_ ** we all know what that’s code for

_ [7:15]  _ **_naruto:_ ** no, guys, please… 

_ [7:16]  _ **_shikamaru:_ ** what’s the deal? we’re trying to help you

_ [7:19]  _ **_naruto:_ ** you all have to behave. I’ve only seen him once, and if he didn’t text me yet there must be a reason. 

_ [7:19]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I have to plan my classes now, goodnight guys

Naruto shoved his phone back into his pocket; with that out of the way, he went back downstairs to borrow Iruka’s computer, only to find out he was already using it. He thought quickly and decided to go home to do his assignments before they were due, and maybe catch up with his TV shows while doing it.

He took his bag and walked up to Iruka, placing a small kiss on his cheek. “Bye dad, I’m going back to the apartment. I gotta study and plan my classes tonight”, he said sheepishly. It wasn’t a very long walk home, and some night air would be good for him.

“Alright Naruto, take care. And call me if you need anything.” Iruka got up the chair to hug him goodbye, and sent him off with a small smile. 

///

After that night, Naruto’s academic life spiraled down to a whirlwind of assignments, projects and tests, one after the other. He didn’t have much time to hang out with his friends or visit his stepfather, or basically do anything besides studying and planning his classes in time to the finals week. As two weeks passed and late-May approached, his energy was drained and he longed for a month off his current life.

He met Shikamaru on his way to their Philosophy class together. The older man walked slowly and watched the clouds with a relaxed expression; if it wasn’t for his perfect grades, he’d surely fail his classes for being late to every single one of them. Naruto asked for him to come over this weekend to help him out with his assignments, but Shikamaru only shook his head.

“Nah, I’m going camping this weekend, remember?”, he said in a carefree tone, his hands buried in his pockets. “Which reminds me, dad isn’t taking his barbecue grill, so we’ll have a spot in the car. If you want to come along, obviously.”

Naruto grinned with a big smile on his face. “Really? That would be awesome! I can bring my laptop to do my group project too- ” Shikamaru shook his head again. “Huh?”

“There’s no electricity on that camp, Naruto.  _ Or  _ phone signal. Besides, you need to relax a little.” He added, shooting a look at the blond and entering their classroom, motioning for Naruto to sit next to him. “No phones, no distractions, just you and mother nature.”

Naruto sat down and organized his things on the desk. “Alright, today is Thursday, right? Can I give you the answer tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, but let me know before noon,” Shikamaru replied, “we gotta load the trunk with bags and stuff, and if you’re coming, we have to make up space for ya. Ah, and just bring your own air mattress, we have a tent to spare.”

“Cool.”, Naruto said, setting a reminder on his phone and tossing it back into his bag to pay attention to class. 

*

It was around 9 am on Friday when Shikamaru received confirmation from Naruto. Finally, their plan was coming together. It’s just like Dr. Ian Malcolm said: life finds a way. But if life takes  _ too long _ , its friends will have to step in and take matters into their own hands.

He took his phone and opened his chat with Sakura, texting her the last details and setting the plan in motion before going to the car to help his father. This would be a  _ very  _ interesting weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

Gaara woke up to a loud knocking sound on his door. He didn't recall the last time he slept so long; the clock on the nightstand showed that it was Tuesday, 8 am. He was late to work, and his body felt so heavy under the blankets that it was hard to move. 

“Look alive, sunshine!”, Kankuro shouted, managing to open Gaara's door and flopping on the bed. He fell heavily on top of the younger man and grabbed a nearby pillow to hit his brother on the head.

The redhead got up angrily. “Ouch, what the fuck Kankuro? Tell Temari I'm staying in bed, because I'm sick. Or something like that.” Gaara buried his face on the pillow again, only to be shaken by Kankuro.

“We've got some deliveries for the day, and I'm not gonna get out there on that stupid bicycle again. It's too small for me!”, Kankuro whined, getting up and spreading the window curtains open to let some light in.

“It’s not my bike that's small, you’re just fat.” Gaara replied dryly, and Kankuro smacked him on the head again. “Ugh, fine, I'll be down in a second.” He rolled his eyes and tossed the blankets to the side, grabbing a pair of pants from his wardrobe.

As Kankuro was going down the stairs, Gaara made his way to their small bathroom to wash his face and get ready for the day. As he absentmindedly brushed his teeth, he tried to recall everything that had happened yesterday on that coffee shop. Everything had felt so real and emotional, but Gaara had trouble believing any of it actually happened. 

It was like a fever dream; and as he remembered Naruto's stare, his scent, his  _ touch… _ that weird sensation grew stronger. Gaara placed a hand on his chest, and clenched the fabric of his shirt.

He did recall something that was  _ very  _ real: Naruto gave him his phone number so they could _ ‘talk’. _ Damn it… Gaara crashed on the bed yesterday as soon as he got out of the shower and didn't even check his phone. He went back to his bedroom; one of his siblings had plugged his phone to the charger and it was sitting on the nightstand.

“Alright. Now where is that napkin?”, Gaara asked himself out loud, searching around the room. Maybe it was still on his jacket’s pocket. He stormed into the small laundry room, checking the bin for his clothes.

Unsurprisingly, they were all wet.  _ Fuck _ . Gaara grabbed his jacket from the pile and noticed it was dripping. He put his left hand inside the pocket, taking out its contents. What he took out didn't resemble a napkin; it was only a small pile of wet paper. Naruto's phone number was lost. Forever.

Gaara’s mind started to panic. Why didn’t he put the napkin somewhere safe? Why didn’t he save the number directly on his phone? Why didn’t he rush home and called Naruto as soon as possible? These questions made his mind spin, and he had to take deep breaths to control his destructive thoughts. He wanted to throw himself out of the window for being  _ so fucking stupid _ and ruining this friendship as soon as it started. He felt a presence by the door and stilled, holding the jacket.

“Hey lil bro, is everything ok?” Temari's voice startled him, but he didn’t dare to look at her. His fist clenched the damp fabric; the sensation of the fingers burying into his palm and the gritting of his teeth told him how stressed he was over this. He was paralyzed.

“Oh Jesus… Gaara, you’re crying. What happened?” His sister gently placed a hand on his shoulder; Gaara tensed at the touch, but allowed it. She moved in front of him and faced him with those deep bluish-green eyes, wiping the tears from his cheek. Covering his fist with her delicate hand, Temari took the jacket and placed it back into the laundry bin.

It was just like when they were little. Temari cared for them like a mother, washing and cooking and helping them with everything when Rasa couldn’t. Those memories made the tears come out even stronger, and Gaara made a huge effort to lift his right hand and wipe them away; that hand hovered in front of his face, trembling with his rage. His left hand still had the remains of what once was a napkin - his only chance at a true friendship, now lost. 

Temari was watching him closely, analyzing his expression and trying to read his thoughts. “This has to do with that Naruto guy, am I right?”, she asked, and Gaara nodded. He opened his left hand and let the bits of wet paper slide from the palm to the floor, and Temari’s eyes followed the motion.

“Naruto gave me this napkin, with his number written on it.” Gaara said, his voice hoarse and weak. “And I lost it. I thought it wasn’t gonna get rained on, but…” He sighed. “I should have known better. I’m such an idiot, that’s why I don’t have any friends, I always fuck things up!” Those last words came out louder and rougher than he expected, and Temari took a step forward, wrapping her arms around him awkwardly. 

“Gaara, please. Don’t say those things about yourself…” Her embrace was warm and tight, forcing Gaara to hug her back with his trembling arms. “We’re gonna find him again, alright? We’ll make it work. You know you can count on your siblings to help you.”

Temari's voice quivered and she went quiet for a while; her arms loosened around the redhead’s body, and she placed both hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. “I love you, Gaara. Kankuro too. And dad too… Though he doesn’t know how to show it properly.” She sighed, her hurt showing through her small smile.

Gaara fought to find the right words to say. “I’m sorry… I don’t want to be a bad brother to you. Or Kankuro. Or a bad friend to Naruto… I’m so scared to ruin things that it turns into  _ this _ .” He rubbed his arm and shifted uncomfortably, looking at his feet. 

Temari kissed his forehead and lifted her hands from his shoulders. “You’re not a bad brother, or a bad friend. I’m sure Naruto will understand what happened when you two meet again.” She turned around and placed the clothes from the bin into their washing machine, pouring laundry detergent on the water and turning it on.

“I understand if you want to skip work today, but please rest enough to go to class, alright?” Temari said as she walked through the door. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for Gaara’s answer.

He turned around and walked up to her. “I think it’s best if I do my deliveries,” he replied, “I don’t want to stay in bed mulling this over.” Temari nodded and gave him a small smile, putting her arm around his shoulder and walking with him downstairs to the shop.

///

Hours passed slowly until it was lunchtime. Gaara had a lot of deliveries to make; Kankuro managed to miss a few ones from last night, which he had to do first thing in the morning and apologize to the clients in the name of the shop.

When he arrived back, Temari went to their kitchen and told Gaara she would make his favorite food: beef stroganoff with french fries. In a few minutes, a delicious smell was coming from upstairs, and Gaara smiled as he watered his cacti.

All the crying and stressing from this morning was just a blur in his memory. But as he went back and forth throughout the city, he couldn’t stop thinking about Naruto. Did he expect Gaara to call him soon? Had Gaara disappointed Naruto, and now he wouldn’t want to be his friend anymore?

Kankuro called him from upstairs, shaking him out of his thoughts and informing that lunch was ready. Gaara rushed to the small sink in the backroom to wash his hands and hang his apron, then headed to the kitchen.

“Thank you for the lunch, Temari.” Gaara said as his sister placed the steaming pot into the small table. “You’re the best sister I have.”

She gave a small chuckle, catching up on their joke. “I’m the  _ only _ sister you have, dummy.” Temari served a big plate with lots of beef, rice and fries for Gaara, and placed it in front of him.

He thanked her with a brief nod and grabbed a fork to eat. “Exactly.”, he said as he ate the first forkful of food. It tasted heavenly. The stroganoff was their mother’s recipe, that Temari had perfected over the years as Karura taught her from a very young age.

They didn't speak much about Karura. For Gaara, his mother was a distant feeling, an aura of protection and love around them, that he could feel even though he never met her; she died minutes after giving birth to Gaara. 

It made him think that if he was never born, Temari and Kankuro would still have a mother, and Rasa would still have his beautiful wife. And they wouldn't have Gaara… In his mind, it would be better that way. 

Some days, he wished he never existed.

“Hey, Earth to Gaara!” Kankuro exclaimed, waving his hand in front of the redhead’s face. “I asked, do you want more fries? Cus if you don’t I’ll have the rest.”

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. His plate was still half full, and Temari had already taken her plate to the sink to wash it. As Gaara ate his food in small bites, his siblings started arguing over who would clean the bathroom. “Because I already swept the floor and cleaned the windows!”, Kankuro shouted, and Temari replied in equal volume. “And I cooked our lunch  _ and _ did the laundry! Don’t be ungrateful!”

“I can clean the bathroom.” Gaara spoke from the table, and took another bite from his food. “When I get home tonight, I’ll clean it. Just stop this nonsense arguing, please.” His siblings looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. Temari went back to washing the dishes while Kankuro dried and stored them back into the cabinets silently. 

“Sorry I yelled at you, Kankuro… I’m a bit stressed after dad’s visit.” Temari said in a low voice, just loud enough so Gaara heard from the table. “I guess he messes with all of us.” Kankuro replied, sighing and draping the dish towel over his shoulder. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t complain so much… You’ve always looked after us, Temari. I feel like we don’t appreciate that enough.” He looked at his feet, running a hand through his brown hair.

Gaara got up from the table and took his plate to the sink, lingering by his sister’s side. He awkwardly hug her waist - they had a few inches of height difference - and let go quickly, running towards his bedroom. Gaara heard Temari’s chuckle as he closed the door and searched for a different outfit to go to class, opting for a quick shower to rinse the sweat from riding his bicycle.

After drying himself, Gaara put on a striped red-and-black shirt with denim pants and black Converse shoes. He stored his ballet gear and a clean towel on his bag and went downstairs to get his bicycle, saying a brief ‘goodbye’ to his siblings and making his way to class.

///

It was late in the afternoon when Gaara exited the last boring class for the day, deciding to leave his bicycle in the college parking lot and making his way by foot to the dance studio. 

The studio owner was by the door, waiting for him. Maito Gai was tall and muscular, sporting a full body form-fitting green spandex with a white crop top over it that read ‘Green Beast Dance Studio’ in cursive font. The man greeted Gaara as he stepped inside the building, showing a big toothy smile and a positive thumb.

“Hello again, Mr. Sabaku! Back to practice today? Go change and we’ll get down to business. My zumba class students are leaving in a minute!”, he said as various women and a few men left the bigger studio room full of mirrors, where Gai taught most of his classes. Being a retired ballet dancer, Maito Gai opened the dance studio to teach other people the joy of dancing and being youthful even at older ages.

A few women in their forties approached Gai as Gaara made his way to the changing room, fawning over the strong man who posed and showed them his muscles for laughs. Everyone knew Gai was gay and happily married, so this was just him showing off playfully to the women. His husband Kakashi taught at Konoha’s Kindergarten School… Just like Naruto. 

As Gaara undressed his baggy clothes and put on a tight gray shirt over black footed tights, he wondered if Naruto was working this evening, or if he had gone to class… And if he was thinking of Gaara - even though he didn’t call or text. Perhaps the Universe had provided this one encounter as a test for him, and he had failed. While he laced his ballet shoes, he wondered if they would ever meet again. 

It was hard for Gaara to stop overthinking this, but he forced himself to snap out of it and go meet Maito Gai in the mirrored room.

“Sorry I couldn’t come this Saturday, Mr. Gai.”, Gaara said, walking up to the bars near the wall to stretch and warm up his muscles. Maito Gai followed him and raised his bushy eyebrows, analyzing the younger man.

“It’s alright, Gaara.”, Gai said, “I hope you’re able to come every day this week to practice for our upcoming presentation.” Gaara stopped his stretch, keeping his right leg up in the air and thinking. He’d completely forgotten that presentation!

“Ha! You forgot, didn’t you? I think I’m being too soft with your routine!”, Gai exclaimed. “Maybe my nephew Lee can teach you a thing or two when he comes back to spend his vacation here with me!” 

He gave a hearty laugh and patted Gaara on the shoulder, which made the redhead stumble to the side. “See? Too soft! Finish warming up and we’ll begin your routine. Do you at least remember your role?”

“Yes, I am the chosen one.”, Gaara said plainly, “Not hard to forget since I’m being killed on stage. And Neji is the satyr who’ll sacrifice me… Is he coming today?” He asked, noting that the older man hadn’t arrived yet. 

“He called earlier and said he wouldn’t make it in time.”, Gai replied, walking to the sound system and playing the part that Gaara recognized as his character’s. “You can rehearse your solo parts today. I want to see how you move with in costume, too.”

Gaara nodded and positioned himself as the instruments started, closing his eyes briefly and feeling the song within. He moved graciously through the room, sensing Maito Gai's critical stare and the tapping of his foot marking the rhythm. Opening his eyes, he danced staring at his reflection on the mirrors surrounding him, searching for flaws on his performance.

“Gaara!”, he heard Gai call him, “focus on giving your best. I’ll tell you when to correct yourself. Let go, live in the moment and enjoy your performance!” The older man said enthusiastically. Gaara took a breath and resumed his dancing, focusing on his own body and mind as he danced from wall to wall.

“Remember your character, Gaara. How does he act? What is his struggle?" Gai shouted as Gaara danced; he was passionate about Stravinsky’s work, and chose The Rite of Spring for this trimester’s play, setting Gaara as the main character for the first time ever. 

"Don’t just think of ballet as an  _ exercise _ , but as an  _ art.  _ By dancing, here and now, you are  _ making art _ .” Usually Gaara would dismiss these kinds of encouragement from Gai, but he tried his hardest to listen and apply what his mentor said. 

His head tried to trick him, taking him back to the past, to Naruto… He missed a step and fumbled with his legs, stumbling to the side and panting. 

“Sorry, Mr Gai.”, he said, taking quick breaths and recomposing himself to start again. Maito Gai didn’t move; he eyed Gaara with a pensive expression and paused the song.

“Is there something bothering you, Mr Sabaku? We can take a break, if you want. Or we can talk about it later. What do you think?”, he asked, staring at Gaara with a caring expression and waiting for his reply.

The redhead pondered about what to say. He didn’t know Gai much - he started coming to this dance studio only a couple of years ago, and their relationship has been strictly professional even since. It wouldn’t be wise for him to tell his problems to Gai; the older man had enough to worry about. Gaara shook his head and straightened himself, positioning his arms in front of him and sticking one leg forward.

Maito Gai sighed and hit play on the stereo, crossing his arms and following Gaara around the room to check for any flaws in his dancing. When Gaara stopped at the end of the song, he only ordered the redhead to ‘start from the top’ and resumed his pace thoughtfully.

///

Shortly after midnight, Gaara left the studio and walked to the college parking lot to retrieve his bicycle. There were a few vehicles parked on the lot, since the college also offered night classes. He hopped on his bike and rode home, tired but happy after a lot of practice. 

His muscles felt sore, and the dopamine rush from surpassing his physical limits made him ecstatic. As Gaara navigated the busy streets, he took in the city lights and the noises from all the people living their lives around him, without even  _ acknowledging _ his existence. It comforted him, and he appreciated being a stranger in someone’s life.

As he arrived at the shop, Temari opened the door and greeted him, offering to take his bicycle to the backroom. He accepted it, and went up the stairs to put his ballet gear on the washer for the next day.

The bedroom was messy as always when he crashed into the bed. He quickly got up and turned on his computer to work on his group project - he didn't feel sleepy yet. Rubbing his temples, he sat on the comfortable chair and checked his phone as he waited for the system to boot.

“Goodnight, Gaara.”, Temari said as she passed in front of his bedroom door. She stopped for a moment and gave a few steps back, peeking through the door. “Oh, Kankuro had something to show you… Said it was urgent. I’ll see if he’s awake and send him here, alright?” 

“Alright.”, Gaara shot, and listened as her footsteps down to corridor. Her voice was a mumble, and he heard the noise of Kankuro’s slow pace on the wooden floor coming at his bedroom.

His brother knocked twice on the door before entering, sitting on the bed and staring awkwardly at his hands. Gaara watched him closely as he fidgeted with a small piece of paper, but finally gave a small sigh and spoke.

“Hey so, while you were out this evening,” Kankuro began, “I did some of your deliveries. And cleaned the bathroom. And had to help Temari organize those stupid flowers… ”

“Just get to the point already.”, Gaara bit out, and Kankuro stared at him wide-eyed. “Sorry. Rough day.”, he quickly apologized, and ran a hand through his red hair.

“Geez… I just wanted you to know my struggle. Anyway, while checking this month's records, which I had to do  _ despite working like a dog _ , I wrote down the phone from that freaky blond's delivery.”

Gaara bolted up and stared flabbergasted at his brother; he hadn't thought of checking the delivery information. He thanked Kankuro briefly, who shot a dismissive 'whatever' and got up from the bed to hand his younger brother the small piece of paper.

“Just know that you owe me.  _ And  _ you are morally obliged to come to my next puppet show. Got it? ‘Night.”, Kankuro shot and exited the room, leaving an anxious Gaara behind, with the chance to make everything right again.

///

He ended up leaving the piece of paper lying beside his computer, too scared to make a move. Gaara couldn't understand himself sometimes… The phone number was  _ right there _ , but he couldn't bring himself to actually take his phone and text it, or even call it. 

Truth be told, he was afraid of rejection. Afraid that when he called Naruto, the blond would only say that he enjoyed their 'whatever it was' and tell Gaara not to bother him anymore.

He'd been rejected before, but with Naruto… It would feel a million times worse. So he decided not to risk it, and give himself the benefit of the doubt. 

Gaara finished his assignments close to 2 am, and flopped onto his bed. He only managed to fall asleep well into 3 am, tossing and turning as lapsed dreams came to him.

///

Kankuro gave him a sincere smile as Gaara got the address list for the day and loaded his basket with their products, but the redhead did not reciprocate. 

He told Temari he was going to work only until 12 pm, and then he'd be headed to his class and then to the ballet studio where he'd practice until 7 pm, then he'd come back to the shop to do the night shift deliveries and whatever chores it was left for him to do at home.

“Promise I'll make it on time for our movie night.”, Gaara added, going through the door and hopping his bicycle.

///

When you're living with depression, the days just seem to blend into each other, and one's daily routine becomes a blur. Gaara's week was just like that: he didn't remember any of their clients' faces, or any of his assignments; he did recall vaguely that Temari chose Mean Girls  _ again _ for their movie night. 

The only vivid thing in his mind now were his dance classes, which took the most of his energy. Their ballet presentation would be held on next week's Saturday night, on the community college's amphitheatre.

When Maito Gai gathered the crew at the end of their rehearsal on Friday to inform them of the time and place of the presentation, a few gasps could be heard from the men and women in the room. Gaara's mind immediately went back to Naruto, wondering if the blond would be there, by any chance. 

“From this Saturday until next Friday, you will only rehearse in costume,” Gai told them, “and we're doing two hours more. I see a few of you slopping around, and I don't want the critics to have a bad opinion of my ballet classes!” He exclaimed, making a fist with both his hands.

“ _ What critics, _ Mr. Gai?”, Konan asked with a sly smile on her lips. She was a beautiful woman with vivid blue hair and a lot of piercings on her face and body, which made her stand out among the other ballerinas. “We're in this to have fun, but we're certainly giving our best. It's not like a famous ballet critic will be coming to Konoha to watch, like, 30  _ danseurs _ on stage performing  _ Le Sacre du Printemps _ .”

Konan liked to show off her French and, mainly, her dance moves. Her role - along with Kurenai's - was one of the main ones; with them both being the older women in the crew, Maito Gai chose them to be the matrons for each tribe. And they did a marvelous job in their roles, Gaara noted as they rehearsed their parts together earlier.

“Who's the  _ mentor _ here, miss Konan? Hmm?”, Gai replied, tapping his foot on the wooden floor. “I think you children are getting the wrong idea of what ballet is all about.”

“Discipline, youth, and art,” a deep voice answered from the door. Kakashi walked into their dance studio, giving his usual hand salute - two fingers to the forehead - and walking up to Gai. The black-haired man crossed his arms and looked away from his husband, in a silly display of anger. “Come on, Gai. It's almost 10 pm, let the kids get some rest.”, Kakashi said, shuffling the car keys in his hand. 

Gai sighed and uncrossed his arms, pointing a finger to his crew and telling them to come to the studio tomorrow at 4 pm sharp. They all nodded and went to the respective changing rooms to put on their normal clothes.

“Great call from Konan today,” Yahiko said as the men entered the changing room. “I mean, who that guy thinks he is? We work our asses off here, for free. Hell, we even pay him for that!” He added, gathering some voiced approval from Nagato and the stoic long-haired brunette Neji, who played the satyr on their piece.

Neji usually didn't hang out with them, and neither did Gaara. They were the quiet ones, but that was their only common ground. Neji was handsome and popular, and a very good dancer; from what the redhead heard, Neji was expelled from his upper-class ballet school a year ago. So now he had to hang with the raffle, and didn't sound happy about it.

“When I was at Moonlight Academy, I-” Neji began, only to be interrupted by Nagato, who made a mocking sound at him. “Yeah yeah,  _ that time _ when you were at a fancy dance academy. Who cares?”, Nagato added, laughing with Yahiko as they exited the room to meet Konan. Neji stood in place for a few seconds, but finally went outside too.

Gaara was the last dancer on the changing room. He looked in the mirror and sad green eyes greeted him; he felt the tiredness of his routine dawn suddenly, and breathed deeply, running a hand through his hair. Turning away from the mirror, he picked up his bag and made his way to the exit as well. 

As he left, Kakashi was waiting by the door, reading a pocket book under the studio’s neon sign. “Y’know, Mr. Sabaku…”, the gray-haired man said to get Gaara’s attention. The redhead stopped to hear what he had to say, displaying a puzzled look. 

“Life may be confusing sometimes. It might be tough to live striving to be better, and to receive nothing back; but rest assured that all of your effort is being noted. The Universe knows. Life knows, and it will give back everything you need at the right time.” 

Gaara was astounded. Kakashi just nodded and smiled from behind his mask, giving the redhead a brief salute as Gai joined him outside. They bided Gaara goodnight and walked home silently, leaving the younger man behind with his own thoughts.

///

As finals week approached, Gaara’s sense of time got even more confused, and his insomnia came back with full force as he tried to balance his rehearsal, his work, his assignments and still have enough time to study for his tests. It was driving him insane, little by little

Still, the oncoming performance they would be presenting the next Saturday was the thing we worried about the most. He tried to keep his siblings in the dark about it, but when a bushy-browed young man came to their shop and requested an enormous bouquet ‘that properly displayed his and his uncle Maito Gai's youthful nature to celebrate ballet and the biggest performance Konoha would ever see!’, Temari connected the dots and confronted Gaara about it over dinner.

“So your siblings have to know through a freaky copycat of your mentor that your next performance will be  _ this Saturday _ ?” Temari said in one breath. “That’s cruel, Gaara. You know how much we appreciate your dancing!”, she added, and Kankuro nodded shortly. 

“You still owe a puppet show attendance for that phone number,” his brother said as he gathered their dishes from the table and took them to the sink. Gaara promptly followed and grabbed a dish towel to dry the dishes, sensing this would be an uncomfortable conversation.

Temari looked confused. “What phone number?”, she asked, and placed her elbows on the table, crossing her arms and looking from Kankuro to Gaara.

“Since our little bro lost his cr- uh,  _ his friend’s  _ phone number, I got it back from our delivery forms and handed it to him.”, Kankuro explained as he scrubbed the pots. “How did that go, by the way?”

Gaara rubbed his arm and lowered his head as he felt both his sibling’s stare weight on him. “It didn’t.”, he stated simply, and felt that same tiredness overcome him. Temari got up from the chair and walked slowly over to him, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“Do you need help with this, Gaara? We can call him for you, if you want to.” she said, and squeezed his shoulder lightly. He sighed and shook his head, grabbing her hand and removing it from him. If his sister was hurt by that motion, she didn’t show it.

Kankuro scowled at them and dried his hands on the towel next to the sink, going straight to his bedroom. “You kids and your emotions. You should be like  _ me,  _ the cool guy who gets a lot of chicks with his puppets  _ and  _ doesn’t get attached. Goodnight!”, he shouted as he closed his bedroom door.

“Huh. He talks big for someone still living with his siblings at 25.” Temari scoffed, managing to get a chuckle out of Gaara. “But seriously, Gaara. Why didn’t you call him already? I’m not mad, just… Worried about you. Last week you seemed like you’d kill for a chance to talk to him again, and now you just gave up? This isn’t like you.” 

Gaara kept his head down and shrugged. He really didn’t know what to do; he told Temari what was going on inside his head and how the last several days had been, trying his hardest to make her understand how he felt. When he repeated to Temari what Gai’s husband had said, she nodded wisely.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. At least think about texting Naruto, if you can’t bring yourself to call him.” She smiled a bit and headed to the bathroom, leaving Gaara to finish drying the dishes. 

He took the time to check their fridge to see what kind of ingredients they had, so he could plan tomorrow’s lunch and cook something good to his siblings. Noting that there were a couple of onions and a few tomatoes, paired with some ground beef he would take out to defrost, Gaara thought he could make some lasagna. He only needed to buy the pasta and cheese to make an okay bolognesa.

///

After brushing his teeth and getting all his gear ready for the next day, Gaara went to bed, taking his cellphone with him. This time, he had saved Naruto’s number on his phone so he wouldn’t lose it again. He checked the time: it was 0:42 am, meaning that the blond would probably be asleep by now.

But maybe not? Gaara pondered the scenarios. It was finals week, so Naruto would be just like him, working his ass off and studying in the meantime. There was a slight chance he would be awake now, planning his classes or doing some late assignment.

Gaara’s hands trembled, and sweat formed on his palms as he held his cellphone. Should he wait until tomorrow? It would be rude to call so late at night, wouldn’t it? God, this is hard. He rubbed his eyes to lessen the tiredness, and to help him think more clearly. Taking a deep breath, he chose to do the hardest thing first: what would he say?

‘Hey, Naruto.’ He stopped there. ‘Hello, Naruto. Hope you’re having a good night.’ He obviously wouldn’t be having a good night, staying up until  _ this  _ late. ‘Hello Naruto, how are you doing?’. Damn it, he sounded like a freak. ‘Hello, Naruto. Sorry I took so long to reach out to you.’  _ Already  _ apologizing? ‘Fuck, I’m bad at this.’

Gaara unlocked his cellphone again and stared at the numbers. He felt like he would collapse at any moment, either from fatigue or stress. Fuck it, he would improvise. The Universe rewards the bold, or whatever. If he got rejected, it would hurt, of course, but then a lesson would be learned.

He tapped on the ‘CALL’ button and placed the cellphone close to his ear, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the blow. The phone on the other end of the line rang a few times, but finally picked up.

“ _ Hai. _ ”, a deep voice echoed through the speaker. Gaara froze, gulping and thinking quickly of what to say.  _ “Konnichiwa… Daredesuka?” _ The man continued. Was that Naruto? Gaara couldn’t tell. The blond spoke Japanese, but it would be weird for him to not answer the phone in his native language.

_ “Shitsurei desu ga, dochirasama deshoo ka?”  _ The voice was insistent, demanding Gaara’s answer. The redhead managed to mutter a weak ‘hello?’ as the other man paused, considering what he said.

“Oh… Hello. Who is it?”, the man replied, and Gaara was sure he heard that voice before. “How did you get this number?” The tone was rude and annoyed; was that Naruto? It couldn’t be…

“Is… Is this Naruto’s number?”, Gaara asked, his nervousness making it hard for him to think. He sat up straight on his bed, clutching the shirt over his chest as he waited for the reply.

“Naruto…?”, the man pondered, and Gaara heard a sigh from the other end of the line. “No, sorry. There’s no Naruto here.” A brief pause... “This is Uchiha Sasuke. Who's speaking?”

Gaara’s heart skipped a beat, his hands fumbling with the cellphone as he pressed ‘END CALL’ again and again. He had that  _ idiot’s  _ number. Fuck.

///

He didn’t remember exactly  _ when  _ he fell asleep; but as the morning sun shed it’s light through the window and hit the computer screen, Gaara deducted that he had spent the night playing to distract his thoughts and passed out on his keyboard. Slowly, he got up and rubbed his face, which had been resting on top of his keyboard and felt stiff. The Dark Souls ‘you died’ screen flashed as he moved the mouse, checking the time. It was Friday, 7:13 am.

Gaara wondered if he should try to sleep more, since his neck was fucked up from sleeping weird for… Three or two hours? Time didn’t make sense anymore; he knew by the caller ID that he hung up on  _ Sasuke _ near 0:45 am, and now he was waking up with a sore body and a nagging headache. 

But since it was Friday, Gaara didn’t have time to sit around; he had to do his deliveries first thing in the morning, going to his Media Studies in the afternoon and the dance studio afterwards to rehearse a bit more alone. His busy schedule didn’t leave room for overthinking, and he was thankful for that.

He rode all over town during morning, remembering to buy the ingredients he needed to make the lasagna for his siblings. As noon approached, he went back to their apartment to start cooking lunch, avoiding too much talking with Temari and Kankuro. Gaara knew his brother gave the wrong number by mistake, but didn’t want to talk about it with them right now. He finished assembling the lasagna and put it in the oven to cook, setting the timer so it would be ready in 20 minutes.

Temari called from the shop and Gaara went downstairs to meet her; she had this weird look on her face, but tried hard to conceal it.

“So, baby brother... Here are your deliveries for the night.” Temari said, handing him a short list. “And… we have a few deliveries for the weekend as well. No breakup bouquets, I promise,” she added, smirking at him. “One of them is that bushy-browed kid Lee’s bouquet to Maito Gai, which I will take so it doesn’t spoil the surprise for your dance teacher. The other is just a flowers and goods basket, which you’ll have to deliver on Sunday to a man named Iruka.” Gaara lifted a brow, suspicious. “It’s a birthday gift, there’s even a card. See?” She waved the colorful card and placed it on the counter for Gaara to see.

“Alright. Guess I don’t have much of a choice.”, the younger man replied. “Hope the tips are good, at least.” He headed back to the kitchen to check on the lasagna and cook some rice to go with it, leaving a smirking Temari alone with her thoughts.

///

Sai was arriving at the college as Gaara parked his bicycle, exiting a red car and waving at the redhead, asking him to wait. The two men made their way to class in silence and sat side by side. 

"So Gaara... What have you been up to?", Sai asked, opening his laptop. "I've seen you around town, but you never look when I call you. Must be quite busy.", he added plainly. Gaara couldn't read his tone, so he just shrugged at the raven's question.

"I guess. I've got a lot on my mind, so it's hard to focus on anything that happens out of it.", the redhead explained. Sai nodded and searched his bag for something; after a few seconds, he took out a business card and handed it to Gaara. The card read "Black Ink Tattoo Studio" on a plain white paper, with Sai's name and cellphone written in it with a pencil.

Gaara stared at the other man, waiting for an explanation. Sai gave him a slight smile and turned to the computer screen, opening his calendar and showing it to Gaara.

"Our vacations are coming up, and I'm gonna start working at this tattoo studio to get some money. You look like the type to like tattoos, so if you wanna get inked just... uh. Hit me up?" Sai said uncertainly, and Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Or, like, if you just wanna talk and hang out, you can text me too. After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

Gaara gave that assumption some thought. He wasn't in the position to deny friendship, so he briefly nodded and offered a shy smile, storing the card in his wallet. 

"Maybe you should have my number, too." Gaara heard himself say before he could help it. "If... you need flowers. Or plants. Or some life advice. That's what friends are for, I guess?" He ended the sentence with a questioning tone, nervously looking away.

Sai chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that's what they do. I read it in a book, once... I'll send you a picture of it when I can." Sai replied and turned to their professor to answer roll call and pay attention, and Gaara did the same.

He felt good after this exchange; Sai was a bit weird, but acted with the best intentions. For the first time since that Monday with Naruto, he actually felt better; the class didn't seem as tedious as the others, and it ended with a small documentary about how brands behave on Twitter and how it is a millennial marketing strategy, or something like that. Sai commented that it was actually just a YouTube video from a random channel their teacher found online, and Gaara had to muffle his laugh. The woman sounded really smart, though.

After the class was over, Sai noted that Gaara didn't go to get his bicycle and asked where the redhead was going.

“I have my ballet class now.” Gaara stated simply, waiting for the ugly look people usually gave him when he told them he danced. Sai looked very impressed, and made small talk about how he appreciated ballet and all forms of dancing, though he didn't have the skills to perform it.

“We'll be presenting The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky tomorrow night at the community college, if you want to come.”, Gaara offered, and the raven enthusiastically agreed to go. Sai asked him to send the address over text and the time when it was going to start, and promised he'd be there. They parted ways and Gaara rushed to the dance studio, noticing he was late.

///

The rest of Gaara’s Friday and the entirety of Saturday morning was a blur. He was sure that his dancing was good, but he strived for perfection; this would be the first big role since he started attending Maito Gai’s studio, and Gaara didn’t want to disappoint him or his siblings. 

Putting his pride aside, Gaara even called Rasa and invited him to the presentation, to which his father replied with a simple 'no'. He did, however, ask  _ why _ Gaara was calling when he should have been doing his deliveries for the night. The redhead hung up and reminded himself how much he needed that phone before he could gather enough strength to throw it under a bus.

It was 2 pm when Gaara slowed down enough to attend Temari's pleas and have something to eat from the kitchen, quickly returning upstairs. He had spent the last hours rehearsing in his small bedroom and checking his ballet crew's group chat to peek at how the preparations were coming along, nervously chewing his nails and compulsively scratching his arms. His costume would cover it, so he didn't mind; but as soon as Kankuro saw how Gaara was dealing with the stress, he made the redhead go downstairs and watch their favorite movie to keep an eye on his little brother. 

As Kankuro set up 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' on their TV, Temari walked into the living room and placed a small container on the coffee table, crossing her arms and smiling triumphantly. 

"There you go, Gaara.", she said, sitting between the redhead and Kankuro, who chose not to wear his facepaint today. "I went to Tayuya's house to borrow a dress and passed by Ichiraku's bakery on the way." Gaara was surprised, but carefully concealed the reaction. "I remember that Naruto had a card from there, so I figured I'd bring you whatever you two had there to… ya know," Temari gestured vaguely with her hands, "make you happy and less stressed about tonight's presentation."

Temari was looking at him and smiling, and Gaara shyly smiled back and nodded, muttering a small 'thank you' and grabbing the package.

"That girl who works there is pretty cute.", Temari said, winking at Gaara. "She said she remembers you. And smiled when she handed me the order, so…" Temari nudged the redhead, who shot her an annoyed glance and opened the container.

A triple-chocolate cake slice sat there, in all its sugary glory. Gaara couldn't believe that girl  _ purposely  _ gave Temari the wrong order; but he wasn't mad. It could be a sign. It  _ must _ be a sign.

"Funny, you don't eat the sweet things Temari cooks.", Kankuro commented, staring at the delicious cake. He reached out to take the plastic fork, but Gaara gave a playful slap on his hand. "You're mean.", the older man said, retreating his hand with a pout. 

Gaara took the fork and had the first bite, but the cake didn't feel as good when it wasn't Naruto feeding it to him. He could only imagine that beautiful smile as Gaara said he liked the sweet, the deep blue eyes glistening with happiness. Gaara couldn't smile like that, or at least he couldn't remember any situation where he displayed more than a small smirk. But seeing Naruto's genuine happiness made the redhead want that for himself, too.

He finished the cake in silence, absentmindedly watching the movie with Kankuro making the same jokes by his side. For some reason, his brother identified with the protagonist, completely missing the point of the movie. Gaara checked his phone for any updates, and this time there were new messages from Sai.

_[5:11]_ ** _sai:_** hey gaara. just called the community college and they informed me all the seats are taken for tonight :(

 _[5:11]_ ** _sai:_** I thought I'd let you know instead of just now showing up :)

 _[5:12]_ ** _sai:_** anyways. see you on monday :)

 _[5:13]_ ** _sai:_** hope your presentation goes well :)

The smiley faces seemed a bit passive-aggressive, but knowing Sai, Gaara thought he just read somewhere that emojis help people like you or whatever.

_ [5:15]  _ **_gaara:_ ** __ hello sai. I had two seats booked for my siblings and one for my father, but he is not coming tonight

_ [5:15]  _ **_gaara:_ ** if you still want to come I can call them and change the name on the ticket

_[5:15]_ ** _gaara:_** :)

Sai took some time to reply, but agreed to go and informed that his name was just 'Sai'. A  _ lot _ of people in this town just have one name, Gaara noticed. Weird.

The ballet group chat was super busy; Maito Gai's nephew, Rock Lee, sent them some pictures of the stage decoration, and everyone was in awe. A large artificial pink sakura tree was placed right in the middle of the stage, with hanging lights that changed colors and the symbol of Konoha right in the middle of its trunk. Some of those photos were selfies, and Gaara was astonished at how much Lee and Gai looked alike. Gaara would have to refrain from laughing in the boy's presence, but had a few giggles with Kankuro as he showed his brother the ridiculous pictures.

"Man, can't wait for tonight.", Kankuro said, patting Gaara on the back as he got up from the couch. "You'll do great, little brother. Go get ready and I'll give you a ride on Temari's car, alright?"

Gaara looked at the time: it was almost 6 pm, which meant he had to rush upstairs for a shower and get his gear to meet his colleagues on the community college. As they were leaving, he shouted a quick 'see ya later' to Temari, who was finishing Gai's bouquet. She smiled and waved when Gaara got into the passenger seat, and they drove off.

///

Even though the presentation only started at 9 pm, people were already arriving to either bring the dancers and the organization crew, or to simply guarantee their seats to the show. Gaara told the secretary - a orange-haired girl named Moegi - to change the name of Rasa’s ticket to Sai. The girl complimented Gaara's hair, and said that she couldn't reach that shade of red when she dyed her curls. Gaara just smiled and nodded in sympathy, going down the stairs to the backstage and greeting Gai, who was inspecting the last details for the ballet.

The only ones who weren't there yet were Konan, Nagato and Yahiko, for no one's surprise. Gai enthusiastically introduced Rock Lee to an astonished crew, who marveled at the matching bowlcuts, bushy brows and green spandex duo that looked like carbon copies of each other. 

Everyone quickly got a run-over of some changes in stage. They did practice around the tree before, but now Rock Lee had suggested some of the dancers would start the piece on top of the tree and come down to dance. Yahiko and Nagato arrived shortly and volunteered, and so did two other women, and it was settled. 

They rehearsed behind the curtains briefly, and Gaara felt his nervousness come back full force as he went to the dressing rooms to change into costume. He put on a white leotard with black footless tights over it, and a pair of black sleeves which had an intricate pattern. He liked the costume, and was glad that their studio had such attention to detail.

The others costumes were simpler, but still very pretty; Neji wore an all gray piece that hung loosely around his form, just like the rest of the male dancers; only that he had brown gloves and leggings to match the large deer-like horns. The women were dressed in white, with the exception of Kurenai and Konan, who wore beautiful, detailed dresses that represented each of their tribes. Gaara was in awe as Kurenai walker around with the gorgeous red-caped dress, with bits of white bandages showing under the fabric. 

Konan arrived and shot everyone a quick 'hello!' before dashing into the changing rooms. Hanabi, Neji's cousin and costume assistant, rushed into the room with her and emerged several minutes later, bringing a stunning Konan with her.

Her lateness was explained by the gorgeous haircut she sported: she had cut her long blue locks into a short bob, with a side fringe that really suited her face and those sad caramel eyes. Everyone applauded as she meticulously showed off her dress, which was pitch black with several blood-red clouds painted over it. It matched her style perfectly, draping loosely around her form. She bowed slightly to everyone's praise and stood by Kurenai's side to start their rehearsal together. 

///

After what it felt like several hours, the presentation time was almost there. Gaara anxiously peeked through the curtains to see various people arriving and taking their seats; the large amphitheater was almost full. He spotted Temari and Kankuro sitting side by side, and Sai at the reception checking in with Moegi. In the front row, Gaara saw the head of Konoha's hospital, Miss Tsunade, along with Shizune, her assistant. The two would give an opening speech before the presentation, Gai told them minutes ago. 

Beside her, there was a woman with pastel pink hair, which grabbed the redhead's attention. Another woman was sitting by her side, shorter and a bit chubby, with long midnight hair and pale white eyes. Before he could further analyze the audience, Lee called him and he positioned himself on the backstage to wait for his call. 

The dance crew listened as Maito Gai got on the stage, loudly acclaimed by the audience. He was wearing a leaf green suit with a plain black tie, and politely thanked everyone present before bursting into a loud laughing, which the audience followed.

“So good seeing so many familiar faces in here! Miss Tsunade, Danzo, even the old beggar Jiraiya got a ticket! Ah ha ha!!” Gai laughed, presumably pointing at the unfortunate man. “But seriously, thank you all for coming. We’re all here out of the kindness of our hearts, and we’re happy to announce that all the revenue from this incredible ballet piece you’re about to watch will be donated to the Konoha central hospital!” He loudly announced, and the audience gasped in surprise, erupting in applause. “I’d like to call Miss Tsunade to the stage for a brief speech. Please, come here!”

The crew behind the curtain spoke in silent whispers, and everyone was as astonished by Gai’s choice as the audience. Gaara thought that was appropriate; they would do this for the city and its community, not for themselves. Neji was visibly upset, but that’s because he was petit bourgeois and his opinion didn’t matter, really. When they heard a loud ‘ahem’ from the stage’s microphone, everyone went silent: Tsunade would speak now.

“Well… good evening to everyone here. I’m certainly as surprised as you all are, _if_ _only_ Gai had told me before that he’d make me climb here to give a speech, I’d have worn something nicer! Ha ha!” She laughed at the end but her tone was cold, and Gaara could imagine the look she was giving the older man on stage. “But anyways. I love ballet and I love this town. I’m glad Gai and his kids are doing some charity to help our hospital. Enjoy the presentation, everyone, and please don’t drink and drive tonight. Alright, I’m out!”

Tsunade tossed Shizune the microphone, which made a loud distortion noise. The two went back to their seats and Gai got his microphone back, laughing and climbing back into the stage. Rock Lee ran up to the crew and informed them to take their places, and Gaara said some quick words of encouragement to Konan and Kurenai, who would be the first to enter the stage as the matrons. Gaara would only appear in the last act, so he took his place by the backstage to watch the performance from behind. 

Gai clapped a few times on the stage – that was their clue to set positions. “Classic Tsunade. Alright! Without further ado, I give you… The Green Beast Dance Studio, performing Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring!”

///

It was stunning. Gaara had seen the others rehearsing many times, but watching them on stage, dancing around that marvelous sakura tree… Really made him emotional. From the backstage, he heard the audience gasp and clap whenever something big happened, and the minutes passed by quickly. Before he knew it, Rock Lee signed to the men that their part was coming up. Gaara tried to control his anxiety as he positioned himself among the other men who would come onstage with him.

Crawling towards the large tree, the men were carefully analyzed by Neji, the satyr, to see which would be fit to the sacrifice. As their faces were fiercely grabbed by those long hands, Gaara was pushed to the front of the tree and tossed at Neji’s feet, who raised the redhead by his chin and announced that he would become The Chosen One. Gaara tried to flee, but ultimately was taken by Konan and Kurenai, seduced into submission by the two matrons. Their dresses floated in the wind as Gaara danced with them, first picking up Kurenai and then Konan, coming to terms with his mortality and his role in the Rite of Spring.

He tried to run, to be free of that sacrifice; but the men cornered him, and Gaara had no choice. Overlooked by the satyr, the ritual had commenced; the men lined in their sacrificial dance, with the redhead positioned right in the middle, moving like his life depended on it. Gaara couldn’t see the audience, but he felt the energy, the lights of the sakura tree changing and pulsating as they moved through the stage. In his last efforts, Gaara’s character pleaded to the matrons, who were unforgiving, pressuring him into submission.

Konan and Kurenai circled Gaara, pushing and pulling the man as they called the rest of the women to help restrain him as he desperately tried to escape in a fit of anger and depression. He covered his face, crying into his hands as his suffering became unbearable. Many gasps were heard from the audience, and the music climaxed as Gaara fell into the women’s embrace, his body slowly hitting the cold ground.

The  _ danseurs  _ gathered around the tree, pleading to the gods and dancing in a silent chanting, as Gaara withered on the floor, the strength vanishing from his body. The satyr readied his final spell, casting it into the young man, who tried but failed to run from his fate. As Gaara’s body hit the ground, men and women circled him and lifted his now dead, limp corpse in a silent prayer to the gods for the successful sacrifice. After a few moments of silence, they lowered Gaara again, slowly kneeling in front of the now dimly lit stage. 

The audience erupted into a feverous clapping and cheering, and the crew waited for a couple of minutes before getting up and positioning themselves to bow for all the love they were receiving. Gaara was full of joy; he could see his siblings jumping and cheering for him, shouting with tears in their eyes. Sai was clapping and politely smiling, and Gaara felt happy that he now had someone to bring to his performances as well.

He wished Naruto was there, too. As they silently left the stage, Gaara wondered where the blond was, and if they would ever meet again. Would the Universe provide him such an opportunity again? He’d have to wait and see; for now, his world was pure happiness, as his siblings welcomed him into a tight embrace, praising him for the marvelous performance.

Temari handed him a small but wonderful bouquet, with joyous tears in her eyes.

“You deserve the world, Gaara.” 

He believed it.

*

“Hina-chan, I got  _ everything  _ on camera, would you believe it?” Sakura squirmed in her seat, holding the expensive iPhone that had proof she had  _ finally  _ found Gaara. All according to Shikamaru’s plan, of course. 

“Is it over yet? God, ballet is so boring to listen to.”Hinata said, sinking into the chair with crossed arms. “And this piece by Stravinsky just isn’t my cup of tea. They should have picked something more sophisticated, in  _ my _ opinion.”, she added. Sakura offered Hinata her hand, who took it and got up slowly.

“I’d settle for some Mitski, but it’s whatever.”, the pink-haired woman said, linking their arms together and walking out of the amphitheater. Hinata let out a small giggle, leaning playfully into Sakura. “God, I need a drink. Tsunade-sama is right there by the bar, maybe we should join her…?”, she said, turning the sentence into a question and waiting for Hinata’s reply.

“We still have a surprise party to plan, remember?”, the black-haired woman replied as they went through the door. “Let’s go get dinner and we’ll run over the details, and  _ maybe  _ I’ll let you have some wine when we’re finished.”

Sakura let out a ‘yesssss’ as they hailed a taxi and rode over to Hinata’s place, thinking of what else this weekend had reserved for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! 
> 
> Gaara's dance (as well as the others) was written based on The Rite of Spring performed at 2017's Burning Man festival. You can imagine the performance exactly as it's done in the video, minus the fire lol. Here's the link:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7xJMEG6Wls [Gaara's part starts around 17:45]
> 
> To read more about this particular performance, refer to this article: https://criticaldance.org/dancing-in-the-desert/
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! :) If you like this fic, please subscribe for the next updates!


	6. Chapter 6

After helping Shikaku load the car trunk with their tents and bags, Naruto and Shikamaru took the big CD folder to decide what they would listen to on the way home. The younger men simply didn't appreciate Shikaku's taste for 80's love songs, so they chose two Metallica CD's to play while riding the old Chevy back to the city.

When everything was put back into the car, the three men got inside and rode off, with Naruto sitting on the backseat along with the folding chairs and fishing rods. He hugged his stuffed backpack and laid his head on top of it, turning to the window to get a good view of the landscape that unfolded before his eyes as the car followed the dirty road.

Unlike the time where they left for the camping site on Friday night, the weather now was rainy and hot. They started loading up the car as soon as the dark grey clouds lingered over the mountains and the forest, announcing the upcoming storm. Now the raindrops fell heavily on the windows and rooftop of the car, and Shikaku had to drive slower than usual. 

The rain made Naruto feel sleepy and content, but he didn't want to miss the ride back home. He engaged conversation with Shikamaru by bringing up video games; soon Shikaku joined them and talked about the old console games he liked to play as a kid. 

Conversation made the time go by fast, and before they knew it, the old Chevy was pulling up on the driveway of Iruka's house. The men got out and Shikaku opened up the trunk to get Naruto's bag and mattress, and Shikamaru helped him take all the stuff to the empty garage. 

As Naruto saw the lit-up porch, realization suddenly dawned in him. "Shika, what day is it?", he asked, patting his friend on the shoulder with a worried expression. Shikamaru turned around with a bored look in his face, but Naruto could see there was something else behind it.

"Sunday, May 26th. AKA your stepfather's birthday. But…" Shikamaru said as Naruto opened his mouth to speak, raising a finger. "We all knew you would forget, with all the stress you've been through. So Sakura, Hinata and I planned a surprise party." 

Naruto giggled like a little boy and clapped his hands. "Damn, with friends like this I am definitely always covered. Thanks, Shika!" He hugged Shikamaru, quickly letting go of the brown-haired man - he knew he wasn't that much affectionate.

"We should get in. Iruka will be here at any moment," Shikamaru said in a bored voice, stepping into the garage and waving Shikaku goodbye as he drove off. The two made their way inside through the garage door, as to not startle the rest of the group.

The door led to the small kitchen, where Sakura and Rock Lee where enthusiastically making cupcakes. Sakura's yellow-striped dress was covered in flour despite the white apron she was wearing, and Lee's usual green jumpsuit sported some chocolate smudges here and there. They both greeted Naruto with smiles and hugs, and Lee's were a lot more strong and lively than Sakura's. 

"I missed you so much, Naruto!" Rock Lee said as he pulled away from the hug. "You have  _ no idea _ how much it pains me to live away from my friends… But that's life, I guess!" He dramatically draped a hand over his forehead, shaking his head. As usual, his bowl cut didn't move.

"Yeah Lee, but you gotta visit us more frequently. Movie nights aren't the same without you!" Naruto playfully ruffled the bowl cut, messing with Lee. The other man just laughed and nodded, stepping aside to take a look at the cupcakes baking in the small oven.

“So Naruto, did you enjoy the weekend out camping?”, Sakura asked, taking off the apron and hanging it on a hook by the fridge. Her dress had little bees and flowers embroidered on the front, which Naruto found really cute. “Ah, Shikamaru, I believe Kakashi wanted to speak to you. He and Gai are in the living room!” She smiled and pointed towards the narrow hallway, and Shikamaru exited the room, leaving the three of them alone.

“Huh… well, it was good, mostly! We fished on the lake and hiked up the mountains there, I had a lot of fun. But as I was helping Shikaku start the fire for our dinner last night, my favorite orange shirt caught on fire…” Naruto trailed off, pouting. Sakura chuckled and patted him on the back, saying a ‘there, there’ as he laughed with her.

“That  _ awful  _ orange shirt, that had an orange painted on it, and also had ORANGE written on it with sharpie? That one?!” Sakura asked as she wheezed with laughter, and Naruto couldn’t help but also laugh and nod. "Then I guess I'll have to get you another one for your birthday."

"Pfft, you don't need to. It was ugly as hell," the blond said, and Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'll just head upstairs for a quick shower and then we can meet in the living room, alright?" Naruto gave Sakura a big smile and rushed to the second floor.

///

After getting out of the shower, Naruto picked a plain blue T-shirt to go with a light-gray pair of pants. He ran a hand through his blond locks, spiking it up with some hair gel on the top and smoothing the shorter areas on the sides and back. Winking at his reflection, he finally turned off the lights and headed back to the hallway.

As he headed to the living room, Naruto took sight of all the people in there, sitting in a dim darkness as they waited for Iruka to get home. There were a few boxes of pizza on the dining table that definitely weren't there before he went upstairs, and the blond made a beeline to get a slice, taking the time to look around. 

He saw Kakashi and his husband, Maito Gai, sitting on the couch talking to Shikamaru; Konohamaru was by the window, hiding behind the curtains to check when Iruka would arrive; Hinata was standing near the bookcases talking to some unknown guy with brown hair and red fang-like tattoos on his cheeks, and they both were holding dogs on leashes. Since Naruto didn’t know the new guy, he decided to approach the pair and introduce himself.

"Hey Hinata! Wow, it smells like updog in here," Naruto said, smiling slyly and watching the two of them closely. Hinata chuckled and fidgeted with the leash, her dog sitting perfectly still as the other guy’s enormous dog sniffed Naruto’s pants and barked loudly.

“Akamaru, SIT!”, the brown-haired man said, tugging the leash and eyeing Naruto. “What did you say? You tryin’ to pull the updog prank on me??” Hinata giggled, and Naruto offered the man a big smile. “That’s a power move. I’m Kiba, Hinata’s friend.” Kiba extended his hand and Naruto took it, shaking it firmly.

“Kiba works at a dog shelter, Naruto.” Hinata began, tucking her hair behind her ear and blushing. “He helped me choose a guide dog… H-he’s really g-gentle and ki-kind…” She trailed off and breathed deeply to contain her stuttering. “This… this is Chamaru!”, Hinata exclaimed, pointing to her side where the dog sat. It was a medium-sized Shiba Inu, which seemed kind and quiet, just like Hinata. “Kiba trained him to be my guide dog, isn’t that amazing?” 

Kiba rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by all those compliments; Hinata smiled and nervously twisted the leash on her hands, waiting for Naruto’s reply. 

“Yeah, it’s really amazing! Now you can be a bit more free from your parents, right Hinata?” Naruto said, and the black-haired girl nodded. “Damn, that’s good to hear! I hope both Chamaru and Kiba take good care of you, or else I’ll lock them both in a cage.” Kiba flinched and shot a look to Hinata, who just laughed and dismissed what the blond said with a wave of her hand.

“Damn it Naruto, don’t go scaring away my friends like that!” The blond laughed and took a bite of his pizza, thinking that they would make a good couple. He left the two and walked over to Kakashi and Gai, noticing that Shikamaru had left.

“Hey, Naruto… Good to see you. Everything alright?” Kakashi gave his usual salutation, the fabric mask lightly muffling his words. Naruto fist-bumped him and turned to Gai, who caught the blond on a strong embrace, lifting him from the ground; Naruto didn't even have time to react as the muscular arms tightened around his back.

“Oooh, Naruto! Long time no see!! It’s so incredible that you’re here, so youthful and healthy!!”, Gai exclaimed with his ever-present enthusiasm. He placed Naruto down and took a good look at his physique. “Well, as healthy as someone can be eating instant ramen all the time! Haha!” Naruto rolled his eyes and chuckled, knowing that Gai meant well by that. “But I’m sure you’ll be keeping up with your running in no time. So we can all work out together, like the old times!” Maito Gai raised his fist and smiled brightly, staring at Kakashi, who let out a tired sigh.

“Only if I can bring the dogs with me,” the gray-haired man said in a monotone voice. Gai gave him a positive thumb and sat beside him on the couch. Naruto found endearing how they complemented each other on their interests… Sasuke never bothered to go out for a run with him.

Rock Lee came in and informed them that the cupcakes were almost ready. As he and Gai went over what colors they would use on the toppings, Naruto thought it would be best to check on Konohamaru, since he hadn’t seen the brat in a while.

“How you doing, honorable grandson?”, Naruto asked playfully, knowing how much it bothered Konohamaru to be called that. The teenager just stared at Naruto from over his shoulder and went back to peeking through the curtains, ignoring Naruto. “Oh look, Kakashi invited Moegi to the party!”

Konohamaru jumped and looked around the room. Realizing that she wasn't there and he was being teased, he turned back to Naruto. “Idiot,” he shot at the blond. “When’s your dad coming back home?! We’ve been here for, like, 30 minutes! It’s taking too long!!”

“Heh, you know how it is. End of semester, teaching at an university, he must have been grading papers until late yesterday and probably will today, too.” Naruto sighed, sharing his stepfather’s struggle.

"No worries, he'll be there. I told him I wanted to play some chess tonight, so he'll definitely come." Shikamaru approached the two men with his hands in his pockets, whistling carefreely. 

"You really thought about everything, didn't you?", Naruto asked playfully, and Shikamaru just shrugged.

"What can I do, I'm a genius." The older man walked away just as Konohamaru pulled the curtains close abruptly, looking around the room and shushing everyone.

"He's here! He's here!!!", he whispered, and everyone got in position. Konohamaru stayed by the light switch, shooshing Naruto away. 

The blond saw Kakashi and Sakura with party poppers, and positioned himself behind them. They stayed silent as Iruka parked the car in front of the garage, locked it, went up the stairs, unlocked the door, and then… 

"SURPRISE!!" They all shouted in unison as Konohamaru turned on the lights. Iruka jumped in place, wide-eyed and covered in colorful paper bits from the party poppers. He clutched his leather bag tightly in his arms, taking in the sight of various young adults around him with his mouth wide open.

"Happy birthday, Iruka-sensei!", Sakura said as she approached Iruka, hugging him and placing an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "Enjoy the party!" Iruka laughed and reached to Naruto for a hug.

"Happy birthday, pops. Love you." The blond had to hold the tears; birthdays always made him emotional, and deep down, he was kinda sad to have forgotten his stepfather's birthday. He hugged Iruka and Sakura, squeezing them tightly with his arms.

"I… I love you too, son. Thank you for all of this… for everything." Iruka smiled inside Sakura and Naruto's embrace, his eyes glistening. Even though his face showed a bit of tiredness, there was a renewed joy for the surprise his friends planned for him. 

"Oh come on, this is a  _ party,  _ are you guys seriously going to cry here and now??" Konohamaru was standing by the dinner table with a hand on his hip and the other holding a slice of pizza, that he took a bite off while rolling his eyes.

Iruka laughed and pulled himself out of the hug, but kept his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Alright, alright. Thank you, everyone, for this amazing surprise. Shikamaru, I know you're the one who planned all of this…" Shikamaru raised his soda glass and smiled at him. "Yeah, a special thanks for you. Anyways… Uh, I'm not good at speeches. I'm just glad I have something cool like this to come home to after finals week, and that my son Naruto is here with me."

Iruka's arm pulled Naruto closer, who displayed an enormous smile. The older man took a deep breath before continuing. "I love you all. I wouldn't be who I am today without my friends… Okay, let's get this party started before I have an emotional moment here. Hurray!" He raised his hand in the air and Naruto followed suit as everyone cheered for Iruka. 

They both headed for the dining table to get served, sitting on the chairs scattered on the living room. As Iruka and Naruto caught up on 'teacher talk' with Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma (who had just arrived as well), the doorbell rang.

Shikamaru approached the group and gently tapped Naruto's back. "I think there's someone at the door to see you," he said plainly, and left as fast as he came. Puzzled, Naruto made his way towards the door, getting increasingly anxious as he reached for the doorknob.

As he pulled the door open, he saw… black. Confused, Naruto looked up to find a very familiar face that sported a purple face paint. Kankuro was looking down at him, with crossed arms and a sarcastic smile. 

"Oh look, it's the freaky blond again!", Kankuro said, not moving from under the doorframe. 

Naruto couldn't believe the nerve from this guy. "Hey, this ain't a kid's party. Who invited the clown?", he shouted to the people inside the house, turning back to watch Kankuro's reaction. 

The older man's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his mouth distorted into a frown. "You're lucky I'm doing this for Gaara, prick, or I'd end you right now." He raised a thumb and pointed at the road, and Naruto followed the motion with his eyes. 

"Gaara's here?", Naruto asked, trying to peek above Kankuro's shoulder. The guy was too tall, and Naruto's patience was starting to wear out. He had just started calculating how much strength it would take to shove the older man away when a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Temari, can you stop checking yourself out in the mirror and help me with this basket? I swear, this thing weights, like, 10 kilos." Gaara's voice sounded annoyed, struggling as he closed the car door. The door on the other side was also closed with more strength, and the clicking of small wheels could be heard on the pavement.

"You insisted on carrying it. Not my fault if the basket weights more than you!", Temari retorted, placing her hands on her hips. She wore bracelets on her wrists that jingled as she gestured to the redhead. "Besides, I'm wearing heels. You're wearing Doc Martens. Come on, we're close."

"Fine."

Naruto had enough of listening, and prepared himself to push Kankuro away just as the older man moved to the side. The blond awkwardly stepped forward with exceeding speed and managed to hold himself just as Gaara and Temari set foot on the first step of the stairs that led to the porch.

Both siblings froze in place; Gaara had surprise showing in his face, while Temari displayed a knowing look. This had to be staged, it couldn't be just a coincidence.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?", the redhead asked, lowering the basket in his hands. It was full of flowers and goodies, and wrapped with holographic plastic.

"I should be the one asking you that! How did you find me?" Naruto's confusion instantly got replaced with happiness. Even though someone set them up, he wouldn't let Gaara be uncomfortable. "Wait, is someone breaking up with me  _ again _ ?", he added jokingly. Gaara's eyes widened, and Naruto laughed, stepping down the stairs to meet him.

"I sure hope not. Though, it would be cool to ride your motorcycle again." Gaara offered him a smile, and looked down embarrassed. "Here, this is for Iruka." He handed Naruto the basket, their hands briefly touching as the blond managed the weight in his arms.

"Cool. So, do you guys have an invitation or something?", Naruto asked sarcastically, staring at the siblings. He noted that they were dressed rather in rather formal clothing; Kankuro had a plain black button-up paired with dark purple pants, Temari wore a matching shirt and skirt in blood red, and Gaara had a dark green shirt with black pants. Naruto thought he looked really handsome in green, though he didn't say it.

"Actually, yeah. I'm friends with Shikamaru, kiddo." Temari went up the steps and stood on the porch, hands on her hips. "We're heading inside. You and Gaara can catch up, but after that we have a dinner to attend. So no pizza, Kankuro!"

"Damn it!", the older man said as he headed inside with his sister and closing the door behind him, leaving Naruto and Gaara outside.

The blond awkwardly stared at the basket, analyzing its contents. "Wow, this looks really good. If Sasuke had sent me  _ this _ as a breakup basket, I wouldn't be so mad at him," he said, half-joking. Gaara flinched at the mention of his ex, but didn't say anything; the redhead seemed lost in his own thoughts.

The silence between them was uncomfortable, so Naruto spoke again. "Don't you wanna get inside? My- my friends are there, I can introduce you to them. I'm sure they'll like you-"

"Sorry I didn't call." Gaara's voice was plain and emotionless, and he struggled to maintain eye contact with Naruto. The blond furrowed his brows, and shook his head, but as he got ready to reply, Gaara spoke again. "I… I lost your number. And I didn't reach out because I was afraid. I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me again."

"Gaara… what?" Naruto's voice resonated with his thoughts, filled with anxiety and confusion. 

"I tried calling you, but then… I had the wrong number. It was like the Universe was telling me to just give up." The words came out one after the other, Gaara's gaze stuck on Naruto, his voice full of desperation and sadness. 

"So I did. And I'm sorry." The redhead dropped his gaze, staring at his feet. Naruto wanted to throw the basket on the ground and hug his friend, but he couldn't - this was Iruka's gift. Instead, he called softly Gaara by his name, and waited until the redhead was ready to talk to him. 

When their eyes met again, Naruto spoke, choosing his words carefully as to not scare Gaara away. "You… you don't have to be sorry, Gaara. Accidents happen. What matters is that you're here,  _ now. _ " Gaara stared at him, his sadness unwavering. "I'm so glad to see you again." Those words seemed to strike the redhead, and his eyes widened, quickly averting Naruto's gaze.

"I'm happy to see you, too." He slowly turned back to Naruto, his expression less melancholic than before. It was like a weight was lifted from the redhead's shoulders, and Naruto felt his chest constrict as Gaara offered him a small smile.

Their moment was interrupted by Shikamaru, who seemed to appear out of thin air next to Naruto. He took a sip of his soda with a smug smile on his face, his eyes darting from one man to another.

"So, Naruto… How do you like the gift that I ordered for Iruka?" He eyed the blond, who narrowed his eyes.

"You…!  _ Shikamaru… _ " Naruto said as he approached the older man.

"Yeah yeah, you can thank me later. I'll get this to your old man, just wrap things up with Gaara and head inside." He took the basket from Naruto's arms, shooting him a wink and going back to the living room.

They were alone again. Naruto felt kinda guilty after Gaara's confession; after all, he should have reached out as well. Looking back on those two weeks that kept him busy, he knew he should have made up some time to go after his friend, not just expect Gaara to text him.

But what is done, is done. Naruto could only do his best at being a good friend to Gaara now, and be thankful that the Universe provided another chance for him -  _ for them. _ He chuckled at that thought, catching Gaara's attention.

"So… Do you wanna get inside? We have pizza, if you want a slice.", Naruto said hopefully. Gaara pondered that option, shoving his hands on his pockets and tapping his foot on the wooden porch. The tension from minutes ago seemed to dissipate, and Naruto was glad he and Gaara were on good terms.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, give me your phone real quick." Gaara lifted a hairless brow and took the device from one of his pockets, unlocking it and handing it to Naruto. The blond searched for the contacts app and inputted his phone number, snapping a picture of himself and setting it as the contact photo.

"There, now you have my number for ever, or for as long as you can put up with my annoying texts. Then you can block me if you want to." Naruto chuckled and handed the smartphone back to Gaara; it was old and the screen had a few cracks, which looked just like Naruto's own phone.

"Thank you. And sorry again for… me." Gaara looked at the phone screen and smiled slightly, before shoving the device back into his pocket. "I think Temari and Kankuro will be back at any minute," he added, watching the closed door.

Naruto didn't want Gaara to leave so soon; they had just met again! There was so much Naruto wanted to tell him about the time they were apart, and also hear what Gaara had been up to on those two weeks. It seemed like two whole months for him, but he wouldn't admit he missed the redhead that much.

"Maybe you could stay?", Naruto asked shyly, lowering his head and pouting at the other man. Gaara watched him closely, and for a moment Naruto could swear the redhead would say yes.

"I can't," Gaara apologised. 

"Oh." Naruto didn't want to show how hurt he was by that. "It's alright. We can still meet again, sometime. You know where I live, and you have my number too. If you want to, we can…" He stopped mid-sentence. What did he mean by that?

Gaara was giving him that puzzled look again. The same from Naruto asked him out… He tried to not overthink that, so he just shrugged and crossed his arms, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

"Alright, you guys done yet?", a voice said from the door behind Naruto. Temari was stepping out of the house, along with Kankuro and Shikamaru. When she saw that the two were at the exact same spots as when they arrived, Temari chuckled quietly and shook her head.

"You boys…" Temari walked over to Gaara, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry we can't stay Naruto, our father invited us to an unexpected dinner and we're supposed to be there already.", she said, checking her wristwatch. "Just thought we'd drop by to say hello to you and Shikamaru here. See you guys around."

She let go of Gaara and walked down the stairs towards their car, followed by Kankuro, who just nodded as a farewell to Naruto. Gaara lingered by the porch, too scared to say goodbye; the blond felt the same way.

He offered Gaara an encouraging smile. "Go, we'll see each other again soon," Naruto managed to say, his voice soft. Gaara shoved his hands further down his pockets, lowering his head and nodding. He turned around without looking at Naruto, walking slowly towards the car. The blond wanted desperately to run after him, but he knew he shouldn't. Instead, he waved goodbye as Gaara got into the backseat and drove off, his head lowered.

Naruto watched as the car went down the road and around the corner, leaving him alone with his thoughts. After a while, he went inside with Shikamaru, but didn't manage to get Gaara out of his mind.

///

After the party was over and the mess was taken care of, Naruto fell heavily on the couch, taking up most of the seating space. Iruka approached him lazily from the kitchen; he had enjoyed his birthday  _ a bit too much _ , drinking beer with his work colleagues and a few of Naruto's friends as well.

He stumbled into the armchair next to the couch, reclining on it and resting his feet on the coffee table (something that Naruto was forbidden to do), letting out a content sigh. He was slightly drunk, and Naruto decided not to bother him for now. The blond got up and made his way to the dining table, where the gift basket was placed.

It was beautifully decorated with flowers; Temari must have arranged them, organizing the goods around the decoration. Naruto appreciated her attention to detail, and noticed a birthday card taped to the giant bow on top of the basket.

He took the colorful card, which had balloons printed on the front; the inside read:  _ Happy birthday Iruka, from all your friends _ , with their names written in pencil below the message _. _ On the back of the card, there was a phone number written in black ink pen, with the name 'Gaara' under it. 

The blond eyed the card suspiciously; this must have been a part of Shikamaru's plan, which Temari certainly was happy to be part of. During the party, Naruto learned that the two knew each other from college, so they definitely partnered up to bring Gaara and Naruto together.

His slightly drunk mind quickly traced a course of action: Naruto grabbed his phone, adding the phone number to his agenda and snapping a picture of the card, then sending it to Gaara.

_ [11:34]  _ **_naruto:_ ** Is this customer service? I'd like to make a complaint

_ [11:34]  _ **_naruto:_ ** someone is trying to set me up w the delivery guy

Naruto thought he was being  _ very _ funny; after the beers he'd taken, he felt kinda upset that Gaara hadn't texted him yet, but now he had the perfect opportunity to talk to him.

Taking a quilt from the smaller couch, Naruto covered Iruka and headed upstairs, knowing that in this state it would be better to let his stepfather rest where he was. 

When he got to the guest bedroom, Naruto took off his shirt and pants, laying down on the bed and taking his phone with him. Surprisingly, there was already a response from Gaara.

_ [11:36]  _ **_gaara:_ ** that sounds unethical. however I.must state that refundsq are not given if, you already used the product and or service 

_ [11:37]  _ **_gaara:_ ** and since you are texxting this number, it seems like that happend

_ [11:37]  _ **_gaara:_ ** happened*

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the way Gaara texted; it sounded too much like him. Minus the spelling errors... was he drunk too?

_ [11:38]  _ **_naruto:_ ** might as well make it worth it then

_ [11:38]  _ **_naruto:_ ** how was dinner?

_ [11:41]  _ **_gaara:_ ** bearable, with all tje wine I drank

_ [11:42]  _ **_gaara:_ ** father is annoying, evne more when he tries tomake things right.

_ [11:42]  _ **_gaara:_ ** shouldn't you besleeping?

_ [11:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I should, but now I'm worried about you

_ [11:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** is everything okay? are you safe?

_ [11:50]  _ **_naruto:_ ** gaaraaaaa

Naruto was often the drunk his friends had to worry about, but now he had to make sure Gaara wouldn't pass out drunk. He pondered about calling the redhead, and was just searching for his contact when a new message popped up.

_ [11:53]  _ **_gaara:_ ** I just went downstirs for a glass of water. geezzz

_ [11:53]  _ **_gaara:_ ** yu sound like temari. 

_ [11:55]  _ **_gaara:_ ** can't believe she and that friend of.yours managed to trick me

_ [11:56]  _ **_gaara:_ ** and you too, I gues.

_ [11:58]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I was as surprised as you! don't go thinking I had any part on that

_ [11:58]  _ **_naruto:_ ** shika made me go camping with him

_ [11:59]  _ **_naruto:_ ** CAMPING 

After that, silence. Naruto got up to distract his mind a little, going to the bathroom to brush his teeth, thankful for the first act of proper personal hygiene on two days. When he got back on the bed, there were more messages from Gaara.

_ [00:13]  _ **_gaara:_ ** camping… 

_ [00:13]  _ **_gaara:_ ** dotn know how that's like. I don't go outside

_ [00:15]  _ **_gaara:_ ** I'm gonna let youo sleep now. Goodnight 

That was ten minutes ago; Naruto was tired, but thankful that Gaara was safe and sound. He crashed on the bed, and in a few minutes, sleep claimed him.

///

The bright, unforgiving sun of a Monday morning greeted Naruto, slipping through sloppily closed curtains. He turned to the side, wishing to get as much darkness to get back to sleep; in the end, it was no use. The light in the room made the blonde's mind come to life, and he searched around the bed for his phone.

It took him two tries to actually make out the numbers on the screen, which displayed 6:56 am. Naruto was early, for the first time in forever, and his body didn't protest when he tried to move it out of the bed. He made his way to the bathroom, showering and following his morning routine as always, only going back to the bedroom to put on his clothes and get his bag and phone, deciding to leave the camping gear there for now.

As Naruto went down the stairs, he took sight of Iruka, barely covered with the quilt and soundly sleeping on the armchair. The blond headed to the kitchen and put a kettle on the stove to boil, deciding to get ahead of breakfast before waking his stepfather.

He walked slowly over to the armchair, gently shaking Iruka. The older man snored loudly and curled himself up on the quilt, covering his face.

"Come on, dad. We're gonna be late!", Naruto whispered, shaking his arm with a bit more strength. Iruka grumbled from under the cover, but didn't move. "Ugh, really? It's Monday, _even_ _I_ got up early. Get a move on, let's gooo!", the blond said as he pulled the quilt from Iruka's body. 

He realised the irony of the situation; in so many times during his teenage years, it was Iruka who would shake the covers until a sleepy Naruto rolled out of them, mumbling curses under his breath. Now the younger man had to wake up his father who so stubbornly refused to wake up from his alcohol-induced sleep.

"Alright, forget it. You wanna be late, then you'll be late. I'm gonna get breakfast ready and if you're not by the door in the next 15 minutes, I'm leaving you behind." Naruto cited the sentence he heard so many times word for word, but Iruka didn't flinch. Maybe that only works on children.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, suddenly aware of the kettle whistling on the stove. He ran back to the kitchen and arranged the filter and the coffee powder, using the boiling water to make a fresh pot of coffee for them. As he was setting up the table and placing the mugs and cutlery down, a lazy Iruka walked up to him and yawned, looking around to find breakfast served on their small table.

"Naruto…?" Iruka eyed the blond, and narrowed his eyes. "Oh gosh, I don't remember a thing about last night after I drank those beers. My head…" He brought a hand to his forehead, massaging it slowly.

Usually his father looked after him when he got home drunk from a party, so Naruto figured he'd do the same now. He offered Iruka some painkillers and a glass of water before setting him down on the chairs next to the table. Naruto smiled as he watched his father sip the strong coffee.

"It seems like you had a lot of  _ fun _ last night, dad. I guess you don't turn 48 every day, right?" Naruto took a sip from his mug, staring at his stepfather as he rolled his eyes and grabbed a piece of toast to eat.

"Right… remind me again how many times I had to look after a drunk blond in this house.", Iruka said in a mocking tone as he spread jam over his toast, getting a laugh out of Naruto. "It was  _ a lot _ of times. So we're not even, by any chance. Your old man still likes to party, you know?" He shot Naruto a wink and bit the toast, enjoying the taste of it.

"Okay, okay… I just hope you feel ready to teach for another 10 hours today." Iruka stopped chewing, and Naruto chuckled at him. "I'll head home to get my motorcycle, then I'll be off to school. You take care of yourself." He strapped his backpack and grabbed his phone as he walked towards the door, leaving a pensive Iruka by himself.

///

The city streets seemed busier than most mornings today. Naruto felt the cold wind on his body as he rode the motorcycle to work, something he never got enough of. It seemed to clear his thoughts, leaving him relaxed as he parked the vehicle by the school's main entrance. 

Routine followed as usual: salute to Moegi - basic assignments for the kids - instant ramen and a brief chat with other teachers - afternoon class at the community college. He got to the main building just in time for one of his last English classes, having to take the few available chairs towards the end of the room.

Naruto figured that, since he had good grades and today's class was just for reviewing content, he'd give himself a break. He quickly searched through his binder for the class planning section, pulling out his phone to access the calendar and do some research as well.

But then, something caught his attention: three unread messages from Gaara. Naruto looked up, trying to figure out if the teacher could see him from where he sat; many of his classmates had their phones out and visibly used them for non-educational purposes, so Naruto thought he'd do the same, only today.

He placed his pen down and slouched a bit on the chair, picking up his phone and opening the messaging app. There were a few texts from other people, unanswered since morning (he couldn't exactly use his phone at work); Naruto quickly scanned over them, deciding he could deal with those later. He tapped on Gaara's chat, strangely anxious by the thought of the redhead reaching out to him after so long.

_ [01:15]  _ **_gaara:_ ** seems like drunk me can text. he talks a lot.

_ [01:15]  _ **_gaara:_ ** sorry for last night. and for not texting today… I was kinda busy.

_ [01:16]  _ **_gaara:_ ** anyways. hope you're doing ok

The blond looked away from the phone for a few seconds, thinking of what to reply. He glanced at the teacher pacing in front of the white board, her boring voice not reaching him as she went over their last test's questions for corrections. 

_ [01:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** hey!! no need to feel sorry, it happens lol. been there

_ [01:45]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I'm okay, just arrived in my english class. and you?

Naruto opened the other chats: Sakura, Shikamaru and Lee all sent messages on their group chat, talking about the UFC fight which would happen that night. Kakashi had sent him a quick text about going for a walk today with Gai, which Naruto replied positively.

He decided to write some class ideas for his kindergartners down as he waited for Gaara's reply, which came just as he finished planning the first week's activities. They talked about their classes, with Naruto first making sure he wasn't bothering Gaara with his texts, to which the redhead assured that was the only thing keeping him interested in class now; Naruto felt the same way.

///

As the class reached its end, Naruto had a third of the next semester planned and managed to talk quite a bit with Gaara. The redhead sounded really formal through his messages, which matched a lot with how he spoke in person. For Naruto, it was fun sharing some details of his everyday life, and also hear Gaara's thoughts on his own routine. It helped Naruto decipher a bit more of his new friend, so shy and mysterious. 

The blond hopped on his motorcycle and started the engine, riding to the small 7-11 near his apartment first to grab something for dinner. He chose a frozen meal and some oranges for dessert, quickly snapping a picture of it and sending to Sakura. She was always lecturing him on healthy eating, and this time he actually remembered to buy something that didn't need a microwave to cook.

He peeked at Gaara's chat; he hadn't replied to his last message, asking how the deliveries were coming up. Naruto figured the redhead was just busy, but part of him started to worry. Maybe something happened as he rode his bicycle back to the shop, or worse - ugh, why did he have to overthink things? 

Parking his motorcycle in front of the small building, Naruto made his way to the crumpled apartment. He tossed his bag on the couch and went to his bedroom for a change of clothes, choosing a plain white tank top and orange track pants with a matching jacket tied around the waist, were he'd store his keys and phone while walking. Grabbing a water bottle and a pair of headphones, he put on his running shoes and stepped outside, whistling. 

///

When Naruto arrived at the park, Kakashi and Maito Gai were already waiting for him, with 8 different dogs on leashes. It never ceases to amaze Naruto how much Kakashi was fond of dogs, and how many he was able to feed and shelter in their small house. 

"Glad you could join us today, Naruto!!", Gai exclaimed. He wore all black short spandex shorts and a tight-fitting tank top, and Kakashi sported a loose shirt and track pants. 

They walked in silence for the first five minutes; the gray-haired man watched their surroundings lazily as the dogs pulled him forward, and Gai audibly laughed at the situation. Naruto thought the two were really one of a kind, different and yet so in love with each other.

Naruto proposed a run around the block with Maito Gai, who promptly accepted; the two men set places and set off, leaving an unimpressed Kakashi behind. Even though the blond forced his body to pick up with Gai, the older man effortlessly left him behind many times, having to wait for Naruto to reach him from time to time. Every time Gai stopped, he dropped to the ground and did either push-ups or sit-ups, until Naruto came up to him, panting and sweating. They stopped midway to rest and exercise a bit on the gym at the park, then made their way back to Kakashi.

As Naruto reached the gray-haired man and sat beside him on the bench, he was drenched in sweat as gasping for air, with a sweet ache on his body from all the workout. The blond extended his hand to one of Kakashi's dogs, petting it on the head as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

"So, how do you feel?", Kakashi asked, holding the smaller dog Pakkun on his lap. Naruto couldn't read his expression; it seemed like there was more to this question than just asking about the exercise.

He decided to play dumb. "Like I've been run over by a truck." Naruto chuckled, fanning himself with his free hand. "How do you manage to work out every day, Gai? I feel like dying already." The dog he was petting, Uhei, got tired of his head pats and went over to Gai, who was doing squats next to the bench.

"Well, since I cannot dance ballet often, I needed a way to keep fit and youthful! So running with Kakashi is the best option, after a good zumba class, of course!" Gai gave a hearty laugh, ending his squats with a "Yeah!" and a thumbs-up to Naruto. 

"Speaking of dancing…", Kakashi said, ominously. It caught Naruto's attention, which seemed to be the older man's intent. "Principal Sarutobi and I are studying some extracurricular activities for the kids." He made a pause, and Naruto scratched his head, thinking. 

When Naruto was a little orphan kid, old man Sarutobi didn't care as much about children as he does now. In many occasions, Naruto didn't have what to eat or wear, and his pleas to the senile school principal had no effect. Working for him nowadays wasn't a choice; and even though Sarutobi behaved a little better when his grandson Konohamaru was around, Naruto didn't like the old man the least.

"...And since my dear husband owns a dancing studio, maybe we'll use it to teach the kids some moves." Naruto snapped, realizing that he had zoned out while Kakashi was talking. The blond just nodded, his face blank. To draw attention away from his lack of listening, he tried to crack a joke.

"Damn, is Sarutobi still alive? That elder should have retired long ago, he looks like a mummy on that white robe of his." Naruto laughed dryly, and Gai gave a big chuckle, patting him on the shoulder.

"Haha! Nice one, Naruto. We'll meet with the school board soon to settle the details then, alright?" Naruto didn't know what that was about, so he just smiled awkwardly and offered a thumbs up to Gai, who promptly mirrored his gesture. "Perfect. I think Kakashi and the dogs had enough outside time for today, so we're heading home."

"Yes, we are.", Kakashi said, getting up and stretching his arms above his head. Naruto sat there for a while, saying his goodbyes to the couple and watching them walk home slowly, enthusiastically chatting with each other. With one final sigh, Naruto got up and put on his headphones, stuffing his hands on his pockets and walking towards the end of the road.

///

An empty living room greeted Naruto as he opened the front door to his apartment. He had to get used to that, eventually; his friends couldn't always be there to entertain him, and the blond also had his own problems to take care of. 

Sighing, Naruto made his way to the small kitchen while rubbing the sore spot behind his neck. He grabbed the frozen meal from the fridge and tossed it into the microwave, the dopamine from exercising slowly wearing off.

Naruto took his phone from one of the pockets and unlocked it, staring blankly at the screen for a few seconds. He chose to reply to some of his friends' early texts, trying to ignore Gaara's chat and his unanswered message. Naruto texted their group chat, asking what they would do on their vacations, and also sent some memes to Shikamaru. Still, his mind lingered on Gaara.

The microwave dinged, and the blond turned around to take the container out of it. The meal didn't look appetizing, but Naruto was hungry and that was the best he could afford now. Out of habit, he grabbed his phone again, aimlessly scrolling through Twitter before opening Gaara's chat for the billionth time that day. He would play cool, even though he was strangely anxious about this whole situation. 

_ [08:08]  _ **_naruto:_ ** hey gaara… just wondering if everythings okay with u?

_ [08:08]  _ **_naruto:_ ** i can get pretty annoying sometimes lol… my bad. It's alright if u dont wanna talk

Then he sent him a picture of a nice cacti pot he saw on Facebook earlier - it was shaped like a cat, and a long cacti spurted out if it like it was the cat's tail. Naruto immediately thought of Gaara when he saw the image; maybe the redhead was a cat person just like him.

After finishing the meal and throwing the container into the garbage can, Naruto figured he'd take a nice hot shower to rinse out all the sweat from the exercise, and maybe take his thoughts out of that conversation. He stepped under the water stream, pensive.

Being a young adult is just so hard. Everyone is figuring out their lives, and you have a small group of friends you can count on, but also… you feel  _ alone.  _ Like no one gets what you're going through. Sasuke breaking up with him had seriously messed up his life, in a way no other breakup did. Naruto honestly didn't know when he'd be ready to open up again.

He got out of the shower and dried himself quickly, making his way to the bedroom. The apartment wasn't that big, but he made sure that the room he slept in had enough space for him to stack all of his mess and leave the rest of the place relatively tidy. There was a chair piled with clothes that he forgot to put away and his laptop was tossed on top of the bed along with one of the many books he had to read for his classes.

Pushing the mess to the side, Naruto laid down on the bed, sighing heavily and grabbing his phone to check for any updates one last time before going to sleep. Opening the messaging app, his eyes widened - finally, a reply from Gaara.

_ [08:31]  _ **_gaara:_ ** cat shaped vases… incredible. I'll ask kankuro to look up where to buy those

_ [08:45]  _ **_gaara:_ ** I wasn't gonna tell you but, my father is staying with us for a few days. That's why I dont text much

_ [08:45]  _ **_gaara:_ ** he's… hard to deal with. so I just try to keep myself busy and stay as much time out of the shop

_ [08:47]  _ **_gaara:_ ** well, that's about it. I'm gonna try and find cool pictures to send you, too. having friends is a new thing for me so I'm still getting the hang of it

The blond read the messages again and again, not exactly sure of how to reply. He was glad Gaara trusted him enough to tell him such personal things about his life; his relationship with his father must be like Hinata's, Naruto thought. He quickly typed a reply to the redhead, putting as much empathy as he could into it.

_ [08:51]  _ **_naruto:_ ** hey!! sorry if I sent too many messages, i was uhhh Nervous. but I'm glad you're okay 😁

_ [08:51]  _ **_naruto:_ ** please do send me memes! if I dont get them i can have shika explain it to me lmao

_ [08:53]  _ **_naruto:_ ** also… damn. your father sounds kinda hard to deal with. do you wanna talk about it?

A notification appeared as soon as he sent the messages, confirming that Gaara had read them. Naruto watched the typing bubble closely, nervously waiting for the reply that came in a few seconds.

_ [08:54]  _ **_gaara:_ ** I'd rather spend as less time as possible thinking about my father, so we're not gonna talk about him. I'm fine, you don't need to worry.

That message left a sour taste on Naruto's mouth, but before he could process it, Gaara sent another one.

_ [08:55]  _ **_gaara:_ ** we should get drunk one day, if you're up to it. my uncle has a bar downtown.

_ [08:55]  _ **_gaara:_ ** he's the only relative I can tolerate. besides temari, of course. and kankuro sometimes.

He pondered if he should prod Gaara some more, but decided not to push it. The redhead was a grown-up after all, he could take care of himself; and if he needed help, Naruto would be there for him, just like Gaara did during his breakup.

The idea of a nice beer or a drink with the redhead seemed amazing, so Naruto pushed the worrying thoughts aside and focused on that scenario.

_ [08:57]  _ **_naruto:_ ** I don't remember the last time I actually went out to drink with my friends lol. we should totally hang out whenever you're free

_ [08:58]  _ **_gaara:_ ** how does Thursday night sound?

_ [08:59]  _ **_gaara:_ ** we usually gave movie nights here on Thursdays but since father is around he's probably going to watch some history drama or something 

_ [09:00]  _ **_naruto:_ ** sounds great!! you can come over to my apartment if you want to, then you chose the movie we'll be watching

_ [09:00]  _ **_naruto:_ ** deal?

The blond didn't know why the thought of having Gaara over made him nervous. It's not like his friends weren't here every week or so, but with Gaara it would feel… different. He glanced around his bedroom, recalling what the rest of the apartment looked like. After finals and a weekend out camping, the whole place was turned upside down. Maybe he'd skip class tomorrow afternoon to plan the rest of his classes and get everything at least habitable to welcome Gaara; he could manage to keep it clean until Thursday night.

His phone buzzed again.

_ [09:10]  _ **_gaara:_ ** alright. be there at seven

_ [09:10]  _ **_gaara:_ ** I will bring some beers, if that's okay. Let me know if you need anything else.

_ [09:12]  _ **_naruto:_ ** cool, see ya!

Though his reply seemed uninterested, Naruto's mind was a turmoil. This wasn't a date, was it? They were just going to watch a movie together. No big deal! But why was he nervous about it? 

Naruto thought about his feelings while laying down, his eyes glued to the ceiling. Gaara didn't reply after that, and it left Naruto pensive; what did the redhead think of him? Was Naruto an annoyance for him? Well, If he was, then Gaara would surely decline his invitation… Damn it, he was thinking too much into it again.

What is it about Gaara that made Naruto so confused? The redhead was just like him, and Naruto thought that was the reason he felt so compiled to be his friend; to help him, to be near him at all cost. He just couldn't get Gaara out of his mind. 

///

Even though Tuesday and Wednesday seemed to go by slowly, soon a cloudy Thursday unfolded before Naruto as he rushed to attend the final classes before their well-deserved vacations. Most of them were just to review assignments and exams, which gave Naruto enough time to plan classes and activities for his students; but, more importantly, it gave him time to talk to Gaara.

Soon the redhead began loosening up with him, and Naruto got more and more excited to meet with him again. Gaara sent him pictures of things that caught his attention while making his deliveries, like a friendly stray cat or a weirdly shaped cloud. It made the blond happy, and as Thursday night arrived, he was more than glad to finally talk to Gaara in person.

Naruto nervously took a good look around his apartment, making sure it was fit to welcome Gaara. The big cleaning he did yesterday paid off, and the place looked good as new. He even called Sakura for her homemade Mac 'n' Cheese recipe, but after she listed more than 3 ingredients he decided they could just order some takeout later.

The blond became more and more anxious as the scheduled time approached. He tried to distract himself by watching some TV and searching for good movie options on Netflix, though he couldn't stop checking his phone every five minutes. Gaara said he was getting ready about half an hour ago, and didn't reply since. Naruto's mind tried to play tricks on him, making him doubt that the redhead would come. He had just started chewing on his nails as the doorbell rang, causing him to jump out of the couch and nervously walk towards the door.

When he opened it, Gaara was standing on the hallway, holding a big reusable bag in his arms. Their eyes met briefly and Naruto smiled, trying to shake the nervousness from his mind.

"Hey, Gaara!", Naruto said, his voice a little lower than he expected. He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "C-come on in. Do you need any help with that-that bag?"

"It's fine," Gaara replied, offering a small smile. "We should probably put these in the fridge," he added, looking down to his bag. Naruto nodded and went back into the apartment, motioning for Gaara to follow him. 

"Sorry about the mess," the blond said as they walked into the kitchen. "I try to keep it clean but... y'know, routine." Gaara placed the bag into the small kitchen table, looking around.

"It's really tidy, I don't know what you're apologizing about," Gaara said plainly. "I guess it's just a polite thing? Like when you spend a lot on a gift and tell the person it was nothing?" He narrowed his eyes at Naruto, thinking. The blond found that expression endearing.

"Yeah, kinda."

Now that Gaara had dropped his bag, Naruto could take a better look at him. The redhead wore a tight beige T-shirt that had the word 'angel' printed on it, and a long black skirt frayed at the ends, which showed some sort of fishnet socks and black hi-top Converse shoes. "Cool outfit," Naruto heard himself say. Oh god, Gaara would think he was checking him out! Was he?

"Thanks. The skirt was Temari's. She's… past her goth phase now." Gaara made a noise that Naruto thought was very similar to a chuckle, so the blond laughed a bit too.

"Nice. So, let's see what you have here." Naruto opened the bag to take out its contents, which were two boxes of beer. "Wow, you drink Budweiser!" He lifted one of the boxes, analyzing it. "The best I could afford was a dozen cans of Blue Moon."

Gaara was watching him with interest, a smile playing on his lips. "Oh, Yashamaru likes those. He likes it, but I think it tastes like…" 

"Soggy bread?"

"Yeah."

"That's spot on." Naruto stored the boxes on the fridge, next to his own. "Should we start drinking now?", he asked, leaving the fridge open and turning to Gaara, who just shrugged. 

"I could order something for us, and we drink while we wait for it to get here." He crossed his arms, and the motion drew Naruto's attention. Gaara had  _ muscles?  _

"Uh… okay," the blond said, trying not to stare too much at Gaara's arms. Naruto grabbed two Blue Moons and handed one to Gaara, who eyed it suspiciously. "Let's find something to watch."

///

After debating on a movie genre for several minutes (Gaara liked horror and documentaries, while Naruto preferred comedies and action movies), they finally settled for a Studio Ghibli movie.

"Sakura introduced me to Japanese movies when I was getting ready for the trip," Naruto explained while setting the subtitles for the movie. "And I liked this one a lot. It's called 'Spirited Away', or ' _ Sen to Chihiro _ …' uh, something something in Japanese. It's pretty cool, I'm sure you'll like it too!"

"Sounds really interesting," Gaara said, taking a sip of his beer. Naruto couldn't tell by his tone if he was being sarcastic, but as soon as the movie started, Gaara seemed to enjoy the story and get a little bit more comfortable around the blond. Naruto watched him closely, trying to read his thoughts. A few minutes into the movie, Gaara told him he had gotten an Uber to his apartment, since he didn't know in what state he would be when he left.

"You could sleep over," Naruto said in an uninterested tone, shrugging. Truth is, it would be a big deal to have Gaara overnight. And kinda weird, too? Naruto tried not to think too much about it.

"Maybe," the redhead replied, and went silent for a few seconds. "I'm not particularly looking forward to go back home anyways."

"Why not?", Naruto asked, and took a big gulp of the beer can, finishing it. He wouldn't push it, but he was dying to know what was going on with Gaara.

The other man sighed heavily, his eyes glued to the screen. Gaara drank a good portion of his beer before answering, his voice unwavering. 

"Let's just say that, me and my father, we… Don't get along." More silence. "Since our mother died, he changed. Or at least that's what Yashamaru says." Silence, and two gulps of beer. "I think that he doesn't like me that much because mother died after giving birth to me."

"Gaara…", Naruto began, trying to find the right words. "You know that's not true. Some parents are really hard to deal with, but I don't think he blames you."

Gaara stared at his hands for a moment. "I think we should just drink. I don't wanna talk about that anymore."

"Oh… okay." Naruto thought it would be best not to dwell on that matter, so he got up and tried to lighten the mood. "You hungry? We can order some Chinese, or a pizza, if you want to." He smiled and picked up his phone, searching for a delivery service nearby.

"I... honestly don't remember the last time I ate," Gaara said slowly, narrowing his eyes and then shrugging as he drank the rest of his beer. 

Naruto blinked a few times, processing what he heard. "You don't…? Alright, let's just order as much food as we can and get you fed." The blond quickly typed his order into the restaurant's delivery app, checking with Gaara if he had any allergies or restrictions. After they both decided on what to eat and placed their orders, Naruto went to the kitchen to get more beers.

He opened the fridge and stared inside. Gaara was always a bit distant and mysterious, but Naruto could tell there was something off with him. If the redhead didn't want to talk about it, Naruto could at least make sure he had a good time today, eating well and drinking as much as he wanted too, if it would make him feel better. With that on his mind, he grabbed as many beers as he could and stored them on his shirt to help him carry them to the coffee table.

As he got back, Gaara landed his eyes on the beers and, consequently, on Naruto's exposed belly. The blond smiled at him and placed the cans down, noticing Gaara's faint blush. Maybe it was the alcohol playing tricks on Naruto's mind.

"I like this movie," Gaara commented as he picked a can. "It's like those animes Kankuro watches sometimes." He laid back as Naruto sat on the couch, sighing.

After a few sips of beer, Gaara spoke again. "This must be nice," he said, looking at Naruto, "I mean, having this nice apartment all for yourself."

Naruto gave that some thought. "It's better when there's people around," he replied simply, swinging the liquid on the can. "Sakura, or Lee, or you…" He looked at Gaara, who avoided his stare, embarrassed. "I'm really glad you could come."

The redhead kept silent for a moment, thinking of what to say. "Thanks for letting me be your friend," he managed to breathe out. Gaara tried to conceal his anxiousness by drinking some more beer, and Naruto understood that.

"Of course," Naruto said, leaning in and placing a hand on Gaara's shoulder. He offered the other man a small smile, which Gaara returned; his cheeks were flushed pink from the alcohol, and Naruto had to fight the urge to lift his hand from the shoulder and caress the redhead's face.

"Naruto…" Gaara was staring at him with those hooded green eyes, and Naruto didn't know what to say. His hand was still on Gaara's shoulder, and the blond's gaze laid on his now parted lips. He felt like Gaara wanted to say something, but couldn't exactly find the words. Naruto didn't mind, honestly; just being in his presence was enough. 

A ringing doorbell snapped them out of their thoughts, and Naruto awkwardly got up to answer it. "M-must be the delivery service!", he said, trying to break the ice. Gaara cocked his head to the side and nodded, turning his attention to the TV.

When Naruto opened the door, three teenagers stood there, looking like lost puppies.

"Hey Boss!", Konohamaru said with a big grin on his face. Moegi and Udon were by his side, and Naruto noticed they were all wearing Golden State Warriors shirts.

"What do I owe the honor of the honorable presence of the honorable grandson in my shitty ass apartment?", Naruto retorted, in a slow but still very pissed off voice. 

"Duh, it's Thursday. We came to watch the NBA finals with you, Boss. Asuma couldn't have us over because he's watching a movie with Kurenai or something so we figured we'd come here!" The words came out super fast, and Naruto didn't even know how to react. He was angry and frustrated, but he couldn't just kick the kids out… or could he? 

The blond stood by the doorway for a few minutes, thinking of what to say as the teens made their way inside the apartment, making themselves comfortable. Naruto watched as Udon and Moegi took their seats near Gaara, and Konohamaru sat on the floor, taking the controller and changing channels.

"And, before you ask, I did try to call you," Konohamaru explained on a smug voice, "and since you didn't pick up I just thought you were setting things up for the game."

"What game?", Gaara asked, his beer can swinging on his hand. They chatted over details for a few minutes, with the blond watching by the door. Naruto thought it was no use trying to convince the kids to leave, so he closed the door and pointed at the trio.

"You three, listen here. Since you guys wanna stay here, we're gonna have some rules." He approached the couch, crossing his arms.

"Rules suck," Konohamaru whined, pulling out his phone to text.

"First rule: no drinking." Moegi and Udon nodded, and Konohamaru opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto cut him. "Second rule: you guys will pay for the food we ordered."

"What? That's not fair!!", Konohamaru complained. "We're not hungry!"

"Actually, Konohamaru, we kinda are…", Udon said shyly, looking at his hands. "Yeah, and thirsty too," Moegi added, tugging at the ends of her skirt. 

"Fuck, you guys are so whiny," the shorter teenager replied.

"Third rule, no swearing."

"Dang it!"

Naruto took a deep breath. "Gaara," he called the redhead, who stared away from the TV which was broadcasting the Raptors stadium. "Any more rules?"

"No K-POP," Gaara said in a serious voice, and the three teenagers nodded.

"Alright. But you guys owe me one for letting you stay." With one final mean look at Konohamaru, Naruto grabbed another beer and laid down on the pink couch, imagining how much alcohol it would take to put up with the kids.

///

In the end, the Raptors beat the Warriors by 118-109, though Naruto wasn't particularly cheering for any team; he was more of a soccer man himself. They shared dinner on the coffee table while listening to a drunkish Gaara tell stories of the times he used to beat up his bullies in high school.

"My point is, you can't be scared of them, if they're scared by you," the redhead told the teens in a sluggish voice while finishing his beer. They were already by the end of the first box of Budweiser, and Gaara had his cheeks flushed pink and talked  _ a lot _ more than what he did when he was sober. Naruto liked that, and he wondered if he could make Gaara this happy in a way that didn't involve alcohol.

"True that!", Konohamaru shouted, and Naruto was pretty sure he and the other two managed to take some sips of their beers while they weren't looking, because the kid was loud and agitated as ever. "You could teach us some moves, y'know, so we could kick ass at school!"

"But no one bullies you, Maru! You're the principal's grandson!", Moegi blurted out. She was sitting between Gaara and Udon, and looked kind of blue. The blond figured that was because of the alcohol, too, and the fact that Konohamaru ignored her throughout the whole game.

"That's exactly why they bully me!"

"They bully you 'cause you wear this stupid scarf all the time," Gaara said out of the blue, and Naruto had to hold his laughter. Moegi and Udon shared some giggles among themselves, but Konohamaru only crossed his arms and cursed under his breath.

"Alright alright, that's enough of teen drama for today. You guys should go." Naruto got up from the pink couch and stumbled a bit as he walked to the door and opened it, motioning for the trio to leave.

"Ugh, fine. We'll leave you and your date alone," Konohamaru blurted out as he stood and took Moegi's hand to lift her from the couch, causing the girl to blush. "Let's go, guys!"

"It was nice talking to you, Gaara!", Moegi said as she was pulled towards the door by Konohamaru. The redhead lifted his beer can as a salute to her, nodding and smiling a bit.

"Bye, Naruto…", Udon managed to say, despite his shyness. The blond smiled and watched as the three made their way down the hallway, then shut the door behind himself.

"Phew!", Naruto breathed out, placing both hands on his hips. "If I ever have kids, I'll find a way to skip their teenage years. Can you imagine having to deal with these brats all day?", he asked, more to himself than to Gaara.

The other man shook his head, the motion making his hair graciously messy. "I'll never have kids," he confessed, and tried to drink from his can, only to find out it was empty. Gaara tried putting it on the coffee table, but missed it by a few inches, dropping it on the floor.

"I think you had enough alcohol for today," Naruto said slowly, approaching Gaara with clumsy steps. The redhead gave a sarcastic laughter, lifting his legs to lay down on the couch.

"Oh, just me? Your face is as red as my hair." For some reason the comparison made Gaara giggle, a sound that made Naruto's face feel a bit hotter than with just the alcohol. 

"You think you're  _ so very funny… _ ", the blond retorted, a cocky grin on his face. He cleared the coffee table and sat there, directly facing a very relaxed Gaara, who watched his moves with an expression Naruto couldn't read.

"I  _ am _ very funny. And I can hold my alcohol, unlike yourself," Gaara said, his eyes closing briefly as a chuckle left his lips. Naruto had never seen him so laid back; it would be nice if Gaara could be this happy and carefree without having to drink so much. Though it was hilarious seeing how Gaara liked to speak his mind while in this state.

"We'll see about that," Naruto replied teasingly. Green eyes met his, dangerously narrowing at the blond as he adjusted himself on the couch, sitting up but still leaving his legs on top of the couch, leaning a bit towards the blond.

"You're not  _ challenging _ me, are you?" Gaara was trying to intimidate him, but he wouldn't bend to his will; the alcohol made Gaara's voice huskier, which added some  _ different _ connotations to his question. Naruto stared at the redhead with a cocky smile, thinking of a sassy reply to his question.

"Maybe I am," he said, licking his lips. Gaara's eyes followed the motion, his own mouth parting slightly. If Naruto had taken a few more beers, maybe he would have smashed their faces together at that same moment.

But wait - they were both drunk, and Gaara is his  _ friend! _ He can't just think of kissing his friend on the first night he came over! Naruto's mind was screaming at him, and he looked away from Gaara, embarrassed. 

"I- I think I had enough to drink," Naruto blurted out, not daring to look at the other man. Gaara stood still for a few moments, blinking slowly.

"Oh… okay. We can… call it a night then." Gaara started to lift himself from the couch, but Naruto got up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, please… stay. Y-you can use my bed," he said, his voice weak. He didn't want Gaara to leave, but he wouldn't force him to stay if he didn't want to. The blond retreated his hand and stood in front of Gaara, who seemed to be deep in thought.

After a few seconds, Gaara spoke a simple "alright" and lifted his eyes to stare at Naruto. "Where is your bedroom?", he asked, looking around the apartment. 

"Ah it's… right this way," Naruto said, walking over to the door besides the small bookcase he had in the living room. It felt weird taking a  _ friend _ to his bedroom, but he also hadn't brought any lovers to his apartment for a while, so he tried to push the embarrassment away.

Gaara followed him inside the crumpled room, taking a good look around. "Your bedroom looks like mine. Messy," he stated, his voice slurring a bit. Naruto figured the alcohol had 'flown to the rest of the body', as Hinata always said when she got up after heavy drinking, because now Gaara stumbled in place as he waited for Naruto to make up the bed for him.

"Okay, you can lay down now," Naruto explained, taking Gaara's hand and guiding him to sit on the edge of the bed. The redhead had a silly smile on his face, and tried to focus his eyes on Naruto as the blond took off his shoes.

"You're so nice to me," Gaara said in a low voice. "And I'm a bad person… Not on purpose, I guess…" He dragged the 's' as his head tumbled to the side. "But every time I try to be good I fuck up."

"You didn't fuck up. Everything is fine, Gaara!" Naruto tried to comfort him, but the other man shook his head.

"Yet… I didn't fuck up yet.", he stated, lifting his head to look at Naruto. His eyes were droopy and a bit sad, and it made the blond feel bad for him. 

Naruto placed a hand on Gaara's cheek, and the redhead tensed at the touch. "I'll be here to make sure you won't. And if you do fuck up, I'll forgive you. That's what being a friend is." He tried to make Gaara see his side, but the man was too drunk, so he changed strategies before he could dwell on that sadness.

"I'm gonna grab some water, you stay here and shout if you need anything. I'll be back in a second," the blond said rapidly, running to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He crashed into the couch and the counter, but managed to get to the fridge without hurting himself further.

When he got back to the bedroom, Gaara had fallen asleep on his side. Naruto didn't know what to do; waking him up would be a bad idea, and maybe he wouldn't even drink the water. He left the bottle on the nightstand along with some painkillers and covered the redhead with a light duvet. With one last look to his friend, Naruto grabbed some pillows and a blanket and made his way to the living room to get some sleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, that was a long time coming! thank you for following this story, i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing! stay tuned for the next chapter ;)


	7. Chapter 7

_♫ I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine_

_I got a love, and I know that it's all mine_

_Oh, oh whoa_

_Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me_

_Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me_

_No, oh whoa ♫_

The song reached Gaara from far away, its annoying melody seeping into his ears and invading his mind, disrupting a deep sleep that could have lasted all day. The redhead tossed around on the spacious bed, trying to find the source of that noise.

It came from a phone - his phone, laying somewhere next to the bed. As Gaara peeked from under the covers, the music died out. He turned to the other side, expecting a wall - his bedroom wall, with posters and paintings - but his eyes landed on an old wardrobe, precariously build on the side of the bed. 

Gaara squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows, which made his head hurt; and, as he moved, he noticed his body was sore as well. Sitting up, he massaged his temples and looked around, believing that there could be something in this room that could tell him what happened last night. 

The place was a mess, lazily decorated with pictures taped on the wall, none that Gaara could make out on the dim light. His eyes landed on his phone, placed on the nightstand to his left, with a water bottle and a few painkillers by its side. 

Gaara swallowed the pills with a drink of water, noticing a small note that was hidden under it. 'Left for work, see u at lunch. Stay safe - Naruto', the paper said in a messy handwriting.

The note shed some light into his memories. Gaara recalled sneaking out of his bedroom to get an Uber to Naruto's apartment, only texting Temari about his whereabouts while he was on the supermarket buying the beers. He didn't tell her he got Rasa's credit card, though; that was a whole different situation he could sort out later.

After arriving on Naruto's apartment, Gaara practically forgot he had a phone. The blond was just so lively and energetic that it took all of the redhead's attention; he couldn't focus on the movie or on how many beers he was having. Every time the blond looked at him with those deep blue eyes, Gaara felt the urge to hide, and tried to conceal his nervousness by drinking… no wonder he had passed out.

The last thing Gaara hazily remembered was the touch of Naruto's hand on his face. He couldn't focus on the blond's expression, though he desperately wanted to. Everything was blurry and confusing, and before he knew it, his whole body stopped responding and collapsed into the bed.

And now, there he was. Gaara placed the water bottle on the nightstand and picked up his phone. He tried to check who was calling him, but the screen light made his eyes hurt; he placed the phone on the bed and looked around the room one more time, his vision now accustomed to the light.

Gaara tossed away the covers and placed his bare feet on the ground; at least he had the decency of removing his own shoes to lay on the bed. His head spun a bit when he tried to get up, but otherwise his balance was fine. 

A tall mirror stood in front of him, nailed to the bedroom wall. Gaara thought he looked like shit; his face was a pale yellow and his hair sticked to all sides, and he was pretty sure the stench of alcohol still lingered on his body. He _desperately_ needed a shower.

Turning around, the redhead set eyes on the small dresser near the door. It had a folded towel and a change of clothes on top of it, which Gaara picked up and analyzed. They _certainly_ belonged to Naruto; the shirt was bright yellow with a random skate themed logo on front, and the pants were a pair of worn-down jeans. 

A note scribbled with Naruto's handwriting left near the clothes told Gaara he could have a shower and wear the outfit, if he wanted to. Gaara didn't have much of a choice, though kind of liked those baggy clothes. They even had the blond's scent… 

Shaking his head, Gaara shoved those thoughts away and went through the door, which led to the living room. The bathroom was near the kitchen; as he walked towards it, he noticed the blankets and pillows on the couch, deducting that Naruto must have slept in there.

He quickly took off his clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water do its work. Gaara felt the pressure in his temples soothing and his body relaxing as he scrubbed himself clean, taking the time to wash his hair as well. Naruto's shampoo also smelled nice, and he caught himself imagining what it would be like to have those strong hands massaging his flaming red hair. Gaara's eyes snapped and he forced his mind to think about anything else; this must be the alcohol playing tricks on him. He couldn't be having these thoughts about Naruto… they were _friends_!

He turned off the shower and reached for the towel, drying himself and putting on some clean clothes. Yellow really didn't look good on him, but he had no other clothes; besides, they _did_ smell nice, like sunflowers and lemon grass.

Feeling a lot better, Gaara made his way back to the bedroom, following the muffled melody of a song coming from under the covers. He grabbed his phone and tapped on the 'answer' button, placing the device near his ear and sitting down on the bed.

"Hello…?", he whispered into the speaker, his voice weak and husky. He cleared his throat and spoke again, this time a bit louder.

"Morning, Gaara!", an energetic voice replied. It was Naruto, undoubtedly. "Hey, I got a few calls from your siblings, so I figured I'd try to contact you to see if you're okay." He tried to sound carefree, but Gaara could sense his worry.

"I'm fine," the redhead said. "Thank you for the painkillers… and for the clothes."

"You're welcome! Di- did you see my note? We could go to a restaurant today, or maybe order some food like last night," Naruto spoke rapidly.

"A restaurant sounds nice." Gaara was dying to see if Naruto was okay, too. He could deal with his siblings later.

"Sweet, I'll text you the details. Oh, someone's coming, I gotta go. Bye!", Naruto said, then hung up. Gaara looked at his phone screen, thinking of what to do.

It was 11:34 am, so there was time until Naruto came to pick him up. Gaara found it strange how much it seemed like the blond was already part of his life, like they had been friends for a long time; how long was it, anyway? Two weeks, a month max since they met each other? The redhead saw his life spiral into something he couldn't control, but he wasn't complaining, either. He decided he wouldn't miss any opportunities again.

The ballet piece was a success, and his siblings seemed really proud of his performance. The same couldn't be said about Rasa; Gaara honestly didn't know why he bothered coming all the way here just to buy them dinner and then proceed to belittle his dancing rather than at least trying to show some support.

And now this crazy 'shop renovation project' was sure to get on Gaara's nerve. The building was still in one piece, there was no need to spend money on something that didn't need fixing. But now that his father had plenty of time and the funds to do whatever he wanted to, Rasa seemed to want to make up for his childrens’ lost years.

Gaara got up with a sigh and tidied the bed the best he could, carefully placing Naruto's laptop and books on top of the dresser. He grabbed his phone and the water bottle, then made his way to the kitchen.

White filling the bottle on the sink, Gaara figured he'd clean the few dishes and cups they used last night, that the blond probably didn't have the time to do. The kitchen had a window right in front of the sink, so Gaara could see what he figured was a common area for people to hang out, accessible by the building's exit door, maybe. 

There were a few loud children playing on the swings and the merry-go-round by the sandbox, where a little boy sat by himself and tried to stuff as much sand as he could into a colorful bucket. Gaara chuckled quietly, recalling that his childhood had been really similar. He did have his siblings to play with, but ultimately enjoyed his time alone.

Finishing the dishes, Gaara figured it was time to face the other side of the situation he was in. Picking up his phone, he checked the caller records. There were calls from Kankuro, Temari, and worse - three or four were from Rasa. Since Gaara didn't like making calls, he decided to answer their _many_ texts, which were sent this morning.

_[8:13]_ **_kankuro:_ ** where

 _[8:13]_ **_kankuro:_ ** are

 _[8:13]_ **_kankuro:_ ** you

 _[9:03]_ **_kankuro:_ ** I swear to god gaara if you make me do your deliveries today I'm gonna snap

 _[ 2 missed call(s) from_ **_kankuro_ ** _]_

 _[ 1 missed call(s) from_ **_temari_ ** _]_

 _[10:11]_ **_temari:_ ** at least tell us if you're safe damn it

 _[10:13]_ **_temari:_ ** sigh 🙄

 _[11:24]_ **_temari:_ ** I called your freaky blond friend, he said you're ok. it doesn't make me less mad tho

 _[11:30]_ **_temari:_ ** text me when you wake up… I'm worried!! 😤

Gaara read the texts with apprehension; the last call must have been the one that woke him up. He knew he had made his siblings worry, and he would make up for it. Gaara took a deep breath, and tried to formulate a good reply to his siblings' texts.

_[11:48]_ **_gaara:_ ** first off. I know you were the one who changed my ringtone kankuro

 _[11:48]_ **_gaara:_ ** and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you guys before. I'll be home soon, I promise

 _[11:49]_ **_kankuro:_ ** FINALLY. I'm gonna call and you better pick up, brat

Just as announced, Gaara's phone vibrated and, before the annoying song could start, the redhead answered the call.

"... Hey," Gaara said into the speaker, carefully distancing himself from the phone, waiting for the blow that would come.

"Don't you 'hey' me, Gaara!", Kankuro shouted from the other end of the line. 

"From all the screaming I presume father isn't around," the redhead replied calmly. Sure, he was trying to shift his brother's attention, but his head had just stopped hurting; he would do anything to de-escalate conflict and avoid an even bigger headache at the moment.

A heavy huff was heard from Kankuro. "No, he isn't. Lucky you," the other man added, "because he hasn't taken it easy on us since he found out you left." Gaara sighed, the weight of the situation dawning on him. He had gotten his siblings in trouble, and now he had to fix the situation. 

"Sorry, Kankuro. I just…", he began, but abruptly stopped. Gaara didn't have a good excuse; he only wanted to spend time with his friend, something Rasa wouldn't understand or even allow him to if he asked. The redhead took a deep breath before continuing. "I just wanted to see Naruto. That's all."

There were a few moments of silence between them. "I know," Kankuro said slowly. "You deserve a good friend. But we were worried. We're supposed to look after you."

"And you always do," Gaara replied exasperated. "All the time. I'm not a kid anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair; the headache was slowly coming back.

"Why don't you come home and have lunch with us?", Temari's voice echoed through the speaker. She must have been listening this whole time. 

Gaara pondered the option for a few seconds, thinking about that small note on the nightstand. "I'm having lunch with Naruto today," he said in a low voice.

"Oh." His sister sounded disappointed, but quickly recomposed herself. "Alright. Just be safe, okay? We love you."

"Later, skater," he heard Kankuro say. His brother also had a bummed out tone, but tried to conceal it.

"Bye," Gaara whispered, tapping the 'end call' button. He leaned on the counter, thinking of what to do. The mood had shifted so rapidly, and he wished he hadn't come at all. His reasons for visiting Naruto last night seemed childish and imprudent now - maybe he should have listened to that nagging voice on the back of his head.

He stared out of the window for a few minutes. The sky outside was blue and a bit cloudy, and thin drops of rain could be seen in the sunlight. The children on the playground ran back to their apartments as relatives called out from the windows; only the small boy on the sandbox stayed, seeming to ignore the raindrops falling on his head and clothes. Gaara found himself beginning to worry about this child, but forced his mind to be rational; perhaps they were too much alike, and the boy also had no good reasons to go back home, choosing to stay out in the rain, alone.

A notification sound brought Gaara back to reality, and he picked up his phone to find that Naruto had texted him. They would have to get a quick lunch at Subway, the blond explained briefly, asking Gaara to meet him there. With one last sigh, the redhead stuffed his phone back into the pants pocket and put on his shoes, making his way outside.

///

The walk over to Subway was short, and Gaara was thankful for that; he didn't want to get drenched. As he set foot on the small building, his yellow shirt had only a few raindrops on them, and the redhead quickly dried his face on the sleeve before sitting on a vacant table by the nearest window.

"Hey!!", Gaara heard from the front door. A disheveled Naruto walked over to him, backpack on one hand and a bright green umbrella on the other. The blond sat heavily on the seat in front of Gaara, dropping his belongings on the floor next to the table. "Kept you waiting?", Naruto asked, briefly locking eyes with the redhead.

"I just got here," Gaara replied simply. The other man smiled, taking a deep breath. 

"That's great! I wondered if you'd be ok all alone on the apartment, but I thought, hey, Gaara's a grownup, I shouldn't worry, right?" Naruto said these words rapidly, leaving Gaara a bit confused. The blond chuckled and looked around the place, seeming to avoid Gaara's puzzled stare.

"Are you alright?", Gaara asked. "I mean… We both drank a lot last night," he added, staring at his hands. Hangovers were awful for him, but Naruto didn't seem to be feeling ill.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a light headache," Naruto replied, tapping his forehead. "What about you?"

"Same. I feel kinda dizzy, too, but that's probably just hungriness." As Gaara spoke, his stomach grumbled a bit.

"Heh, we should eat, then! My lunch break is kinda short, but I promise I'm walking you home today," the blond said, standing and offering Gaara a big smile.

"Only If you let me pay your lunch," the redhead contered. "As a thank you for last night. And for these clothes," he said, pointing at his shirt.

"I think my Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 shirt is worth more than a footlong," Naruto commented with a grin, walking over to the counter. Gaara rolled his eyes and followed the blond, an unusual smile dancing on his lips.

///

Their lunch was quick, with Naruto stuffing his face with a steak and cheese footlong as he tried telling Gaara all about his morning classes and how his students are learning faster than all the other children. The redhead ate his own sandwich slowly, trying to savor the moment as much as possible. It was him who had to tell Naruto to hurry, or he wouldn’t make it back to the school in time; the blond was too excited to keep track of time. Gaara thought that maybe, just maybe, this moment was as special to his friend as it was for himself.

They walked out of the Subway just as the rain had stopped. Naruto took the lead, his spiky blond hair and bright orange jacket lighting up the cloudy day. He kept talking about whatever crossed his mind - the frog umbrella which was gifted to him, the surrounding buildings that looked old and boring, the people who looked at them both with weird expressions. 

"Wish people would mind their fucking business," Naruto commented as a middle-aged woman gave him side-eye as she passed them. Gaara was used to this treatment; only small children seemed to like his birthmarks, mistaking it for makeup.

"Don't mind them," Gaara said shyly. Judging by the blond's expression, people's attitudes hurt him a lot. Naruto nodded and shoved his hands on the jacket's pockets, looking up at the sky.

"I thinks it's gonna rain again," Naruto pointed out, trying to change the subject. "Why is it that everytime we meet, it's raining?" He stopped at the red light for pedestrians, turning to look at Gaara, as if wanting him to answer the question.

"I never thought about that," the redhead replied. "I kinda like it. Makes me stop worrying about life." He pondered on that thought for a while; it was actually Naruto's presence that provided a strange calmness, not the rain. Gaara turned to Naruto and found the blond staring at him, a pensive look on his face.

"Yeah… guess you're right," Naruto said with a smile, nudging Gaara with his elbow. The redhead stumbled a bit to the side, playfully returning the push.

The stopping light turned green and the two men crossed the street; Suna Garden Shop stood just around the corner, and as they approached it Gaara began to sulk. He really didn't want to say goodbye to Naruto again. Sure, they could talk over text, but it wasn't the same… Gaara liked seeing Naruto's smile and hear his laugh, and how his entire being seemed to light up when they were together. 

"You okay?", Naruto asked, his voice far away. He had stopped walking and watched the redhead with furrowed brows. "We can take a break if you want," he added, scratching the back of his head. It was adorable, Gaara thought.

"No, it's alright. We're almost there, and I don't want you to be late." Gaara resumed his pace and walked past Naruto, who picked up as well. If the blond noticed the hint of bitterness on Gaara's voice, he kept it to himself.

They quickly reached the shop, and Naruto insisted on going inside to greet Temari and Kankuro. Luckily, Rasa was nowhere to be seen, and Gaara breathed out in relief.

"Did our little brother behave well last night?", he heard Temari asking from her flower arrangements. She had her signature smug smile that told Gaara how much she would pester him with the information Naruto decided to disclose. 

"Heh, well… We both drank a lot, but Gaara always stays classy," the blond confessed sheepishly, his toothy smile firmly in place. Temari lifted a brow but didn't reply, choosing to remain silent and display her all-knowing stare.

"Always!", Kankuro shouted from behind the counter. Gaara rolled his eyes and turned to Naruto, who lingered by the door.

"I really don't wanna go," the blond confessed in a low voice, avoiding Gaara's stare. They locked eyes briefly, and Gaara felt himself blush. "You can visit me anytime, okay? Just text me first 'cus my place is always a mess and I gotta take a few minutes to tidy it up," Naruto said giggling. The redhead sensed he was nervous, trying to conceal it with humor. It was one of the things Gaara liked about his friend.

"Sure," Gaara replied simply. "I have to return your stuff anyway." He tugged at the shirt's sleeve and looked to the side, catching Temari's eyes and reading the machinations behind them. She would definitely tease him for wearing Naruto's clothes.

"I… uh," Naruto began, "you can… keep them, I guess. Yellow looks g- good on you," he stuttered while fidgeting with his jacket. Gaara heard Temari chuckling behind him, but his attention remained on the blushing blond in front of him. Before he could reply, Naruto's phone rang on his pocket, and the blond rushed to answer it.

"H-hello… !" Naruto's face displayed his anxiousness, though he tried to conceal it by rolling his eyes at the voice coming from the speaker. "Yes, yes, I know… I got stuck in traffic, I'll be there in… uh," he tapped on his chin, "fifteen minutes!"

Gaara felt a bit guilty; he was the reason Naruto was late, and for now he had to hope that the blond wouldn't lose his job over it.

"Okay… okay, see ya. Bye!" With one deep breath, Naruto shoved his phone back in his pocket and offered Gaara a lopsided grin. 

"You should go, then. We can talk later," the redhead ordered before Naruto could find another reason to delay himself. 

Instead, the blond did the unexpected - his arm reached out to Gaara and awkwardly pulled the redhead close in something Kankuro would call a 'bro hug'. Gaara stood still as his brain registered Naruto's closeness to him, noticing how their almost similar heights meant that Gaara's face sat just above Naruto's shoulder, offering him an opportunity to engrave the blond's scent into his memory. 

It was over in a few seconds, and Naruto showed him one last smile before leaving quickly through the front door. The sound of the small bell placed on the door was the thing that brought Gaara back to reality, and he shook his head to make his brain work again.

Had that really happened? One look at his siblings' faces told him it did, and the strange hotness of his face confirmed his worst fear.

Gaara was in love with his new best friend.

///

All those romantic comedies took place in an alternate reality, Gaara thought. In the few movies he watched with Temari and Kankuro, the big realization was the moment where it all started to fall into place. When you're in love, things just work out, you get your rose-tinted glasses and everything falls into place.

But that was a lie, obviously. After Naruto left, Gaara was met with the cold, harsh reality of his life. He heard heavy steps coming down the stairs and, when he looked at it's direction, Rasa's cold eyes met his.

It didn't matter how long Gaara spent without seeing his father, it was never long enough to shake off the sensation that there was something deeply wrong with that man. Small, black eyes always staring at him. At Temari and Kankuro. Vigilant.

"Do I have to repeat myself, Gaara?" Rasa's voice told him this wasn't a question he had to answer, it was an order he had to obey. Like anything he ever said.

The youngest son refrained from replying, choosing to search his siblings' expressions for a clue of what he should do. Temari cocked her head to the side, motioning for Gaara to follow their father upstairs. So, he wanted to talk. Alone… Did Rasa watch their goodbye hug? Did he know Naruto…?

These questions danced on Gaara's mind as he made his way to the second floor, following Rasa to the shop's office. The tall man sat on the black leather chair by the table, and Gaara knew he had to sit on one of the two smaller chairs in front of it. The adrenaline rushing in his body told him to stand, so he did.

"Sit," Rasa commanded while leaning back on the chair. Gaara hated how his father behaved like this was his office, or his own store. 

"I'll stand," Gaara retorted, crossing his arms. He wasn't ten anymore, though the stare Rasa gave him made him feel like that fragile little boy again.

The older man huffed in annoyance, tapping the table impatiently. "You're becoming really hard to deal with, Gaara," he said gravely, the lines on his face deepening as he frowned. 

"I just don't want to sit."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Rasa's controlled anger slipped and the man clenched his fist. "Leaving in the middle of the night to see a complete stranger -"

"He's not a stranger, he's my friend," Gaara bit out, gripping his arms tightly. Talking back to his father always felt wrong.

"In the _middle_ of the _night_ , Gaara." Rasa put emphasis on those words like it was something grave and wrong. "What were you thinking? Konoha isn't Suna!"

"I know that."

"You don't know _anything_!" The man banged his fist on the table, not too loud as to be heard from the outside. "Just because you're 23 doesn't mean you're mature. You behave like a child, Gaara. A foolish child."

" _Your_ child, Rasa." Though he disliked admitting it. "Why- why can't you trust me? Trust _us_?" He gestured towards the door, believing that Kankuro and Temari were listening to their conversation. "We're not kids anymore. You can't keep treating us like this." Every word Gaara uttered felt like knives fighting their way through his throat. He knew his siblings had tried making Rasa see their side with no luck, but he couldn't keep living like this. 

Rasa pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to calm down. "I swore to your mother I would keep you safe. Temari and Kankuro, too." He made a pause, his eyes glistening with a glimpse of sadness before going back to showing the usual angriness and distaste. "But you three insist on being reckless and irresponsible."

"Irresponsible?!", Gaara spat. "You really don't see anything we do here. All the effort we put into this business."

"Says the boy who shows up to work whenever he sees fit," Rasa retorted while crossing his arms. "I didn't say anything when you decided to run away from me and open the shop on this godforsaken Konoha. I even offered my help."

"We don't need your help."

His father chuckled. "Watch your tongue, boy. I pay for your classes, remember? And that stupid dance studio you _insist_ on going to. Oh wait," Rasa said, raising his eyebrows as if he was recalling something. "That's right. I'm _not_ paying them anymore, remember?"

Gaara closed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. After his last ballet presentation, Rasa made clear over dinner that he wouldn't be fueling his younger son's useless aspiration of being a dancer. Temari and Kankuro tried making their father see how much dancing made Gaara happy, but Rasa had made his mind.

When the redhead opened his eyes again, Rasa was analyzing his reaction. "I do this for your own good, Gaara. Dancing isn't going to get you anywhere," he said in a fake condescending tone. The sound of his voice made Gaara sick, his own mouth twisting into a frown. 

"You're awful," was all that Gaara could mutter through gritted teeth. He didn't trust his voice to speak his mind, and nothing he could say could change his father's mind.

Sighing, Rasa spoke again. "I already had this talk with Temari. I don't expect you to understand my actions." He got up from the chair, moving towards the younger man and grabbing the coat on the hanger by the door. 

The two were close now, and Gaara could see a few white strings on the dull red of his father's hair; the stress would be the death of him.

Rasa stopped with his hand on the doorknob, and shot one last cruel stare to his younger son. "I only want what's best for you," he whispered, pulling the door open and stepping outside, leaving an angry Gaara behind.

///

After his father's taxi ran off towards the end of the road, Gaara heard his siblings coming up the stairs, heavy and melancholic. He barely registered as Temari said they'd be spending some time at Yashamaru's house, explaining that Rasa had planned the shop's renovations to start this weekend.

The redhead went back to his room, thinking of what to do. He expected his anger to explode as soon as his father left, but only an apathetic depression came over him. It was probably for the better; he would have wrecked his room if he became destructive right now.

Looking around, he forced himself to be rational. Even if Rasa was trying to ruin their lives, Gaara wouldn't let him. He loved being creative, and his reality was just beginning to change. He had a chance to be a better person, and nothing his father said or did would change that.

Gaara laid down on the bed, staring at the cluster of band posters glued to the ceiling. Grabbing his headphones, he decided to listen to some music to think better of what to do next. 

If he was going to stay away for a few days, he should at least let Naruto know. Opening their chat conversation, he stared at the blond's profile picture. It was a rather formal photo; Naruto wore a white button-up shirt with no tie, and looked stunning as ever with his spiky hair lightly combed to the side. 

Shaking his head, Gaara remembered he had to send a message and not just stare at his friend's pictures. He thought briefly about what he wanted to say.

_[2:34]_ **_gaara:_ ** hey Naruto. I'll be staying at my uncle's house for a few days, and I thought I'd let you know

 _[2:34]_ **_gaara:_ ** hope you're doing okay

He lifted his phone and snapped a picture of his band posters. Maybe Naruto would like that as much as he liked the photos he took on his deliveries, and the thought made Gaara happy.

Taking a look at the other chats, he saw that Sai had sent him an invitation to visit the tattoo studio he worked at. Since Naruto would probably take a bit longer to reply, he accepted, heading downstairs to grab his bicycle and ride over there.

///

"Glad you could came," Sai greeted as Gaara entered the small tattoo studio. The walls were painted black and decorated with pictures and paintings, some that Gaara recognized as being made by Sai. The raven had an unique brush style, his strokes were always precise and tweaked to perfection; he figured Sai would be very good at his new tattoo artist occupation.

"Thank you for inviting me," the redhead said as he sat on one of the red velvet chairs opposite to Sai. "This place is nice. You must have a lot of clients."

The raven smiled and nodded. "I'm still practicing, but I have plenty of designs ready for tattooing." He handed Gaara a brochure with black leather cover and a good number of pages. 

Opening it, Gaara noted there were a number of tattoo designs that certainly where made by someone else; the trace was thin and the figures drawn realistically. The redhead flipped through the pages until he reached the end of the brochure, where Sai's designs were catalogued.

"The first designs were made by my mentor, Deidara. He's eccentric, but he knows how to work with colors and shading." Pulling his left arm sleeve, Sai showed the tattoo he had gotten a few weeks ago: an intricate drawing of a snake, slithering around his forearm.

"Woah," was all that Gaara could say. He didn't have any tattoos, but this made him want to get one for himself. Searching around his pockets, he pulled his phone and realized his father's card was still with him. 

"Can you design something like this for me?", Gaara asked, showing Sai the picture he'd been keeping on his folders for quite a while. The other man analyzed the image for a while, then smiled.

"You bet I can," he affirmed, getting up and walking to his work table near the tattooing chair. Gaara watched as Sai's brush danced on the plain canvas, picturing how it would look on his own body.

"I think this will look cool on your arm," Sai commented, and Gaara nodded silently. They chatted a while on the colors and the correct placement, then Gaara made his mind. 

It was his life. He could do anything. 

///

When he walked out of the studio two hours later, he felt renewed by the pain. His first tattoo sat on his right arm, near the shoulder, and he loved every bit of it. Best of all, it was paid with his father's credit card.

Now he finally had something new to show to his uncle… This would be a nice weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew!! finally, right? quarantine hasn't been easy on me and my creativity slowed down but i managed to push the story further. next, we'll see what naruto has been up to, and maybe get some ~romance going on ;)
> 
> shoutout to Brett for being wonderful as always and helping me during my crisis. i love you soooo so so much.  
> hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> If you want to share your thoughts in the comments, I'll be happy to chat with you. Follow me on tumblr @gaygaara!


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